When faculty members decide to go against their better judgement and begin having inappropriate relationships with their students, the situation becomes much more complex and reaches beyond just the student and teacher; it becomes an issue regarding the integrity of the university and a violation of the centuries old bond between educator and pupil.

Consenting adults will be consenting adults, but the issue at hand, when speaking about inappropriate student-teacher relationships, is that of perception.  If a teacher is even perceived to be in an inappropriate relationship with a student, any sort of goodwill given to the student will always be questioned and the professionalism and credibility of the teacher slowly fades into a distant memory as new perceptions arise.

Aside from the fact that many of the young and impressionable students are far from home and looking for some form of acceptance, they are also looking to build professional relationships with their professors.  In these instances, the professor forgoes all ethical boundaries and perverts the relationship by giving in and taking the relationship to a place where it does not need to go.  Ever.

This scenario is as old as time, but it is important to know that this type of behavior is not condoned.  We live in a world where everyone is quick to judge and slow to forgive.  While it does take two to tango, the power of this dynamic is in the hands of the educator.  Two of the core values of West Texas A&M University are integrity and respect for dignity.  It is imperative that integrity is valued or else we, as a university, lose a vital part of our being.  Doubly so, it is essential to respect the dignity of the student as an individual and not prey on him or her simply because they are students.  And on the other hand, it is just as important for students not to pursue their professor.  It is so very easy to follow one’s feelings and not be aware of the consequences for both parties.

And then it comes down to the classless cliché of the entire scenario.  We are not an institution that is not based in the corruption of mentorship, but instead we are a university in constant search of knowledge hoping to make each class better than the last.