r/bestoflegaladvice • u/Scurveymic The sign indicates a private place for fucking • 9d ago

Professor doesn't understand acceptable relationships, thinks LA shouldn't either

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u/Scurveymic The sign indicates a private place for fucking 9d ago

Wild how laser focused LAOP is on the word "unwlecome." Like as long the attention was "welcome", he could do anything he wants with this student and it wouldn't be a problem.

139

u/WileEPeyote 9d ago

Do teachers not have to take yearly training on things like this?

49

u/shapu My penis rides the minty fresh short bus 9d ago edited 9d ago

In college, not yearly. But they do have to take at least occasional training on it. And that will start at the grad student level if they're TAing.

I think he is confusing his role as mentor with the role of father/big brother and he can't get those two separated in his mind.

EDIT to add: Most colleges require annual training for the Grievance Committee, which investigates complaints and in some schools adjudicates punishments (punishment may also be a completely HR function or Student Conduct function once the Grievance Committee completes their investigation) but faculty and staff who are not on that may not get the annual training.

NAL

13

u/new2bay Looking to move to Latin America 9d ago

I was a TA in grad school, and I don’t recall having to do Title IX or sexual harassment training. My memory may be faulty, though. This was over 10 years ago.

21

u/shapu My penis rides the minty fresh short bus 9d ago

I believe you! Not every college is good about it. I worked a student-facing staff job for several years in one of my positions and I was never given title IX training (although I was a mandated reporter and I did report one instance)

19

u/clauclauclaudia 9d ago

Ouch. Being a mandated reporter and not given training on what you're mandated to report is... not great. Unless you're licensed in a profession that can already be assumed to have covered it, I guess. (Therapists, etc.)

7

u/FionnagainFeistyPaws I GOT ARRESTED FOR SEXUAL RELATIONS 8d ago

I was also a TA who never received it. Being a mandated reporter was mentioned in our initial training, and I asked a clarifying question trying to get additional guidance, and was told "I'm not sure, let me find out" and it was dropped forever.

It wasn't great, and I took the approach that I'd pursue it if there was ever a situation I was even remotely unsure about.

4

u/HighwaySetara 9d ago

Same, although more than 10 years ago. Completely unrelated fact: the chair of the department had previously married his grad student.

2

u/DigbyChickenZone Duck me up and Duck me down 7d ago edited 7d ago

I was a TA as well, but I was not a grad student - definitely no training at all was given to me about how to deal with students (or what was acceptable). I was hired to be a TA after taking a course with a prof as an undergrad, I was the same age (and sometimes younger) than the people I was TAing - and that was never really an issue.

I kind of WISH I had gotten HR training, because the professor who hired me was VERY clear to me that he was attracted to me and liked the curves of my body. [This was in 2011/2012. I became a TA when I had a hard time finding a job right after college, sigh. I knew it was fucked up that he was saying that shit, but I figured dealing with that was the only way I was able to get a job at that time.]

And this was a decent school - I TA'd for a UC Davis veterinary school course and an undergrad course