It’s common to fall in love in college. But how many of us expect to fall in love with our professors? Or even have our professors fall in love with us?

The topic can be an uncomfortable one, given the national conversation on sexual harassment and predatory behavior particularly in professional settings. To many, the thought of teachers and students having a romantic relationship may seem  taboo. But some argue that it should not be frowned upon, as long as it consists of two consenting adults. With that being said, what is the campus culture at Harper like when it comes to students and their teachers getting involved romantically? What our report uncovered may surprise you.

If you are looking for the rules and regulations surrounding this matter, you’re out of luck. According to Harper’s Title IX Coordinator, Beverly Riley, there is no specific rule set in place that prohibits teachers from dating their current students. But the question is, is that a good or a bad thing?

“We don’t dictate consensual relationships at the college,” Riley said. “But there is a risk to faculty members to date a student, especially if the student is in their class, because there is a power difference.”

The power difference that Riley mentioned creates a conflict of interest. A teacher being in a relationship with one of their own students face the risk of  being biased towards their performance in the class. There is also the possibility of other students  perceiving the affair as grounds for unequal treatment.

“I think it’s generally accepted it’s not a good idea to date your students. And I would say it would be frowned upon to date a student who is in your class,” Riley said after taking a long pause.

While it turns out that there are no rules or regulations set to address the issue, Riley did assure that there are very strong corrective measures that are taken if a teacher were to breach the policies concerning sexual harassment.

Even with consensual dating, the opinions range.

Rebecca Scott is in her first year of teaching at Harper in the Philosophy Department and said for her it would be problematic.

“I would feel obligated to report it to Title IX because there’s too many issues there in terms of power and the potential for a sexual harassment situation,” Scott said. “If a student in my class had told me that they were involved in a relationship with a teacher, I would recommend they talk to somebody like a counselor just to make sure that there wasn’t any kind of sexual harassment or any kind of unhealthy power in that situation.”

Assistant Professor of Sociology James Gramlich, who has taught at Harper for 10 years, seemed to agree with Scott.

“I would take the student aside and have a conversation about whether or not it’s something they should be involved in,” Gramlich explained.

The issue of an ‘imbalance in power’ came up with everyone interviewed for this piece. However, for students who weighed in on the issue, it seemed less relevant.

“As long as you have expressed consent from both parties than I think it is alright,” Student James Nazarowski stated. “I wouldn’t care because they’re two consenting adults. It’s not my place to say what’s right and wrong.”

“I feel like it’s fine because both the student and teacher are adults and can make their own choices,” another student, Violet Centeno added. “It may be weird in the classroom, but I still believe it’s okay.”

For student Amber Boch, it’s “wrong from a moral standpoint.” Boch explained that she had a friend who dated a teacher at another school.

“It made me really uncomfortable because he was in his mid 50s and she was in her 20s,” she described.

But age differences aside, there’s nothing illegal about dating your instructor–if that’s what you both want.

It’s happened at Harper.  Several teachers, unwilling to go on record, mentioned that  a few teachers at Harper have dated and married their students and have gone on to live ‘regular lives.’

“They are still good teachers…who happen to fall in love–legally,” explained a Harper alumnus and teacher who requested to remain anonymous.