The University of Nevada, Las Vegas' mission is to promote the personal and academic development of students. This mission is promoted by professionalism in relationships between members of the university community. It is the university's goal to create an environment conducive to learning where students, faculty, and staff trust and respect one another.
The University of Nevada, Las Vegas prohibits romantic or sexual relationships between members of the university community when one of the individuals involved has direct professional influence or direct authority over the other. In that circumstance, both the university and the person in the position of influence are vulnerable to charges of sexual harassment from the person in the position of lesser power and/or by third parties.
Consensual relationships existing between individuals — neither of whom has direct professional influence or authority over the other — are not prohibited by this policy.
A member of the university community is considered to have direct professional power or direct authority over another individual when he or she is in the position to do any of the following:
- Supervise a student in any capacity, including evaluating any academic work, assigning grades, academic advising, formal psychological counseling, or serving on thesis, dissertation, or scholarship committees;
- Influence a student's employment, graduate assistantship, housing, participation in athletics, or any other university activity;
- Supervise and/or evaluate the work performance of a member of the faculty or professional or classified staff;
- Recommend or award merit or promotions to a member of the faculty or professional or classified staff;
- Serve on promotion or tenure committees.
When a romantic or sexual relationship exists, both parties involved may be subject to disciplinary action. Both parties are equally responsible for reporting the existence of the relationship to the appropriate supervisor at the beginning of the relationship. A self-report will be kept confidential by the supervisor unless university policy requires him/her to divulge it.
Once the university administration learns of a romantic or sexual relationship, whether through self-reporting or otherwise, it will take immediate steps to eliminate the power and authority of the one individual over the other. This may be accomplished by reassigning duties or responsibilities or requiring withdrawal from a committee.
If the individuals involved fail to comply with this policy, or if the relationship is not self-reported, the university may impose one or more of the sanctions available through its disciplinary procedures, as outlined in the NSHE Code (for faculty and professional staff), the Nevada Administrative Code (for classified staff), or the UNLV Student Conduct Code (for students).
When a relationship exists between a student who is being paid to administer a recognized student organization/group and another member of the organization/group, the above policy applies. If the student leader involved in such a relationship is not being paid to administer the organization, special circumstances apply; the involved students will report the relationship to the organization's advisor (or another university representative assigned by the office of the vice president for student life). Thereafter they will refrain from making decisions within the organization that are designed specifically to benefit or harm the other individual in the relationship. This policy shall not be construed to mean that either party to the relationship will necessarily be required to forfeit his or her membership status or position within the organization.
Persons bringing groundless or malicious charges under this policy are subject to disciplinary action for personal misconduct under the appropriate faculty/staff personnel policies or the Student Conduct Code.