Staff-Student Relationship Policy

The policy is available in PDF format in Appendix B11 of the Bylaws.

1. Approval and Binding Effect

1.1. This Policy was approved by the Governing Body of Merton College on 23 June 2025. Any amendments to this Policy require the Governing Body’s approval.

1.2. This Policy must be reviewed by the Governing Body at least every five years with the advice and recommendations of the Statutes and Bylaws Committee and the Warden and Tutors’ Committee.

1.3. All Fellows and Staff of the College are subject to this Policy and must comply with it.

1.4. Failure to comply with this policy constitutes misconduct which may result in disciplinary action up to and including dismissal.

2. Scope

2.1. The College recognises the value of positive professional relationships between Students and Fellows or Staff. Such relationships are central to Students’ educational development and welfare.

2.2. Intimate Relationships or relationships of financial dependence between Students and Fellows or Staff who have Responsibility for them can cause significant problems because of conflicts of interest, the imbalance of power and authority, perceived favouritism, and the emotional or practical consequences of relationships coming to an end. This Policy is intended to ensure that these problems do not arise.

2.3. This Policy deals only with consensual relationships. It does not supersede or limit the scope of the College’s Harassment Policies.

3. Definitions

In this Policy the following terms have the following meanings :

College Employee	Includes academic and non-academic employees of the College, permanent, temporary, contract, agency and other support staff, and includes Junior Members who are employed by the College in any capacity.
Fellow	A person holding any category of Fellowship of the College as defined by Statute 4.2 and Bylaw III.11(a).
Intimate Relationship	Includes sexual or romantic relationships, marriage or life partnerships, regardless of gender, gender identity or sexual orientation, including brief relationships and one off occurrences and whether they are conducted in person and/or online and/or via electronic or any other form of of communication.
Junior Member of the College	A Junior Member of the College as defined by Statute 6.1, i.e., a person who has been presented by the College for 318 matriculation or who has migrated to the College and is engaged in an approved course of study within the University or who has been admitted to the College to pursue an approved course of study.
Prohibited Relationship	A relationship of the kind described in paragraph 4.2 between a Fellow or member of Staff and a Student for whom they have Responsibility.
Relevant Other Staff	Consultants, Visiting Scholars, self-employed contractors, casual workers, agency workers, apprentices, volunteers and interns working for the College.
Responsibility for a Student	any direct teaching, professional, pastoral, welfare, or administrative responsibility for or authority over a Student, whether temporary or permanent ; in relation to a Student : lecturing, teaching, overseeing projects or fieldwork, supervising, and setting and/or marking of examinations or other assessments ; acting as a mentor or College Adviser to a Student ; making decisions affecting a Student in relation to admission to the College or University, internships, or work-placements.
Staff	Both College Employees and Relevant Other Staff.
Status	In relation to a Student, enrolled status as a student.
Student	For the purposes of this Policy only, “Student” includes: Junior Members of the College including those with Suspension of Status ; Student Members of the University ; Applicants for admission to the College or University ; Those holding offers for admission to the College or University.
Student Member of the University	As defined by the Statute II.4 and II.5 of the University’s Statutes.
Suspension of Status	A period during which a Junior Member will not be considered to be on course and will not hold enrolled status as a student. Suspension of Status is sometimes referred to colloquially as “rustication” or “intermission”.
University	The University of Oxford.

4. Policy

4.1. Prohibited Relationships.

4.1.1. If a Fellow or member of Staff has Responsibility for a Student :

4.1.1.1. they must not have an Intimate Relationship with that Student;

4.1.1.2. they must not have a relationship with that Student which results in that Student becoming financially dependent on them or vice versa.

4.1.2. A Fellow or a member of Staff who becomes aware of a significant possibility that a Prohibited Relationship within paragraph 4.2.1 above may in future develop between them and a Junior Member must declare the situation to the Senior Tutor or the Head of Human Resources and must cease to exercise any Responsibility for the Junior Member in question (including, where appropriate, by declaring any conflict of interest and withdrawing from meetings).

4.1.3. Fellows and members of Staff must not engage in Intimate Relationships with Students who are under the age of 18 whether or not they have Responsibility for them.

4.1.4. Fellows and members of Staff must not accept or assume Responsibility for any Student with whom they have an Intimate Relationship or with whom they previously had an Intimate Relationship.

4.1.5. If a Fellow or member of Staff experiences behaviour by Students for whom they have Responsibility that could reasonably be interpreted as flirtatious or as making advances towards an Intimate Relationship they must report this to the Senior Tutor or the Head of Human Resources. This may result in protective measures to separate those concerned or otherwise minimise the possibility of conflicts of interest, complaints or questions over academic integrity or professional behaviour.

4.2. Relationships which are not Prohibited Relationships.

4.2.1. Fellows and members of Staff are strongly encouraged to be cautious before embarking on an Intimate Relationship, or a close personal relationship, with a Student for whom they do not have and are not likely to have Responsibility.

4.2.2. Fellows and members of Staff who embark on Intimate or close personal relationships with Students for whom they do not have and are not likely to have Responsibility must consider whether it would be prudent to declare the relationship to the Senior Tutor or the Head of Human Resources having regard to the fact that such relationships may give rise to complaints or concerns rooted in real or perceived inequalities of power, accusations of bias, favouritism or exploitation, adverse effects if a Student becomes practically or emotionally dependent on them, and questions about the nature of consent; and that the risks of such complaints are likely to be heightened if there is a significant age difference between the Student and the Fellow or member of Staff or if the Student is taking their first degree or if the Student has particular welfare needs.

4.2.3. Junior Deans for Welfare are not prohibited from having Intimate Relationships with Junior Members of the College but they must disclose any Intimate Relationship to the Head of Welfare and avoid having Responsibility for those Junior Members except in emergencies.

4.2.4. All Fellows and Staff are expected to exercise properly-informed professional judgment as to the appropriate limits of their professional relationships with all Students, having due regard to their responsibilities and to the risks, including the risk of harassment.