Mrlonelyone Posted October 30, 2012 Posted October 30, 2012 I asked my supervisor what would happen if I became involved in a more than friendly way with a much younger undergrad student. He told me I should ask the dean of students office. The dean of students office told me to ask my advisor. Nothing has happened and likely nothing will, but it could. These things are like hurricanes and turn suddenly in all directions.
GorillaTheater Posted October 30, 2012 Posted October 30, 2012 What's your position at the school, if you don't mind me asking?
Author Mrlonelyone Posted October 30, 2012 Author Posted October 30, 2012 Well. It's like this I am a graduate student in the closing stages of finishing a thesis. I have established personal and professional relationships with the professors and staff. The faculty treats me almost as an equal. I don't collect a paycheck. No one there is sure enough about this sort of thing to just say oh well it's ok or absolutely no it's forbidden. It is as if they never sat down and really thought about it at all.
GorillaTheater Posted October 30, 2012 Posted October 30, 2012 I'm sure they have thought about it; the scenario happens pretty frequently in one form or another. Generally, I've found that there is a general reluctance to deal with issues like this unless one person is in a postion of power (supervisor or current teacher) over the other. Are you a GA/TA teaching a class the undergrad is in?
Author Mrlonelyone Posted October 30, 2012 Author Posted October 30, 2012 I'm sure they have thought about it; the scenario happens pretty frequently in one form or another. Generally, I've found that there is a general reluctance to deal with issues like this unless one person is in a postion of power (supervisor or current teacher) over the other. Are you a GA/TA teaching a class the undergrad is in? No. But if it was so simple I wish they would make that clear either way. Instead we get the bureaucrat shuffle.
GorillaTheater Posted October 31, 2012 Posted October 31, 2012 The thing is that it's not necessarily clear. They're not going to encourage a relationship like that; they're not going to say "sure, go for it". But at the same time they probably don't have a written policy forbidding such relationships except maybe in the circumstances I described above. So this one's on you; be careful.
carhill Posted October 31, 2012 Posted October 31, 2012 IMO, this is great opportunity to exercise personal initiative. The general issue will confront many professional people out in the world so school can be a great place to start learning about the pros and cons by doing and, if applicable, making mistakes. Life is as much about risks as it is about rules. Successful people bend and break rules all the time. It's how one manages those dynamics which defines their success. Good luck.
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