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A new university policy prohibits all “sexual or amorous” relationships between Yale teachers and  undergraduates.

The policy, which Provost Peter Salovey announced to faculty in a November 13 memo, adopts a stricter stance toward consensual faculty-student relationships. Previously, such relationships with undergrads were permitted if the teacher had no “pedagogical or supervisory responsibilities” over the student.

“Undergraduate students are particularly vulnerable to the unequal institutional power inherent in the teacher-student relationship and the potential for coercion, because of their age and relative lack of maturity,” the new policy states. “Therefore, no teacher. . . shall have a sexual or amorous relationship with any undergraduate student, regardless of whether the teacher currently exercises or expects to have any pedagogical or supervisory responsibilities over that student.”“Teacher” is defined as all faculty. It extends to graduate and professional students only when they are acting as teachers or supervisors.

For teachers and non-undergraduate students, the relationship ban applies “whenever a teacher is or in the future might reasonably become responsible for teaching, advising, or directly supervising a student.”

“The integrity of the teacher-student relationship is the foundation of the University’s educational mission,” the policy notes. Explaining the reasons for the ban, it continues:

In addition to creating the potential for coercion, any such relationship jeopardizes the integrity of the educational process by creating a conflict of interest and may impair the learning environment for other students. Finally, such situations may expose the University and the teacher to liability for violation of laws against sexual harassment and sex discrimination.