Internal Audit

Consensual Relationships & Reporting

Portland State University recognizes that consensual romantic or intimate relationships may occur within the University community. When such relationships involve a power differential, including supervisory, evaluative, instructional, or decision-making authority, they create actual or perceived conflicts of interest and must be disclosed and managed in accordance with the University’s Consensual Relationship Policy.

Consensual Relationship Policy about this content

Disclosure & Reporting

Individuals involved in a consensual relationship where a power imbalance exists are required to promptly disclose the relationship to their supervisor or to the Office of Equity and Compliance. Disclosure must occur as soon as the relationship exists or develops.

Consensual relationships subject to disclosure must be reported using the University’s online reporting form, which allows the Office of Equity and Compliance to coordinate appropriate review and oversight.

After disclosure, the University works with the involved individuals and appropriate administrative offices, including Human Resources, Academic Affairs, and the Office of Equity and Compliance, to establish a Consensual Relationship Reporting Agreement. The purpose of this agreement is to eliminate actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest and to protect the integrity of academic and employment decisions.

Consensual Relationship Disclosure Form about this content

Purpose of a Reporting Agreement

A Consensual Relationship Reporting Agreement clarifies reporting lines and decision-making authority, removes supervisory, evaluative, or grading authority between the individuals involved, assigns oversight responsibilities to a neutral and objective third party, and documents safeguards designed to prevent conflicts of interest or favoritism. These agreements are not disciplinary in nature. They are proactive measures intended to protect the individuals involved and the broader University community.

Policy Expectations

Under the Consensual Relationship Policy, supervisors, instructors, and others in positions of authority may not supervise, evaluate, grade, or make employment or academic decisions affecting a person with whom they have a consensual relationship. Decisions related to employment, compensation, evaluation, academic progress, or discipline must be reassigned to a qualified and impartial third party. Even when conflicts are formally addressed, consensual relationships involving power differentials carry inherent risks, including potential allegations of harassment, retaliation, or policy violations. Individuals in positions of authority bear heightened responsibility and accountability in these situations.

Institutional Oversight and Complaints

Once established, a Reporting Form is shared with the appropriate administrative offices to ensure consistent implementation and oversight. Documentation is maintained in accordance with University records retention requirements. 

The Office of Equity and Compliance remains available to provide guidance, answer questions, and support individuals and departments in complying with the Consensual Relationship Policy.

Complaints related to consensual relationships should be directed to the appropriate University office based on the nature of the concern. Administrative or employment-related complaints are handled by the Office of Human Resources. Complaints involving faculty are administered through the Office of Academic Affairs. Concerns involving discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or other issues related to a protected category are reviewed by the Office of Equity and Compliance.

Consensual Relationship Policy FAQs

  • The policy applies to all students.
  • The policy also applies to all employees including student employees, faculty of every rank, academic professionals, staff, and administrators.

Consensual relationships covered by the policy have the following characteristics:

  • They are intimate, romantic or sexual in nature.
  • They are legal within the state of Oregon.
  • Both parties are willing participants.
  • One person has an unequal position of power.

A consensual relationship may exist even if one or both partners consider it casual, temporary, or episodic. The policy applies to even a single intimate, sexual, or romantic encounter.

A power differential exists when one person in the relationship is more powerful than another, has the potential to be more powerful than another, or is perceived to be more powerful than another. This imbalance can manifest itself in many different ways. It could affect the less powerful person’s student programs or activities, terms of employment, or access to resources.

The more powerful person in a relationship may not be objective in how he or she exercises power, because of the relationship. He or she may treat the other person in the relationship more favorably, or less favorably, or may be
perceived to treat the other person more or less favorably than other similarly situated individuals. Different treatment may occur without a conscious decision because the relationship itself makes objectivity difficult.

Although it’s not possible to list all the ways in which a power differential could arise, the following are some examples:

  • A department chair and a departmental faculty member;
  • A tenured faculty member and a tenure-track or fixed-term faculty
    member in the same department;
  • A tenured faculty member and a tenure-track or fixed-term faculty
    member in different departments where the tenured faculty member
    sits on the untenured faculty member’s Promotion & Tenure
    Committee;
  • A resident assistant and a resident;
  • An advisor and an advisee;
  • A teaching/graduate assistant and a student;
  • A supervisor and a supervisee;
  • A physician/dentist and a nurse/hygienist/assistant;
  • A coach/trainer and a student athlete;
  • A mentor and a mentee; and
  • A student employee who supervises another student employee
    (including providing work assignments).

Yes. The policy applies to all consensual relationships, whether or not you supervise the person directly. For example, indirect supervisors can still assign work or projects assignments/projects to the other person (e.g., a
student employee who indirectly supervises another student employee by giving him or her work projects), or have oversight over the other person (e.g., a doctor who indirectly supervises a nurse).

You should report immediately and definitely before the more powerful person makes any education- or employment-related decisions that affect the less powerful person.

You must immediately disclose the relationship to your supervisor and the Office of Human Resources and work with your supervisor to eliminate the conflict of interest.

You must immediately disclose the relationship to the supervisor of the person in the more powerful position and the Office of Human Resources. However, because of her/his position of power and responsibility, the more
powerful person has the primary responsibility for reporting the consensual relationship.

Consider if this past relationship will create an actual, potential, or perceived conflict of interest. If it will, then you must disclose the relationship.

Possible examples of this situation include:

  • you will now be supervising in a new department where one of the employees is someone who you previously dated, or
  • you dated a student who was not in one of your classes, but now there is a possibility you will be assigned to her/his dissertation committee.

You must share the information promptly with your supervisor and the Associate Vice President for Human Resources.

What is necessary depends on the individual situation, but some common arrangements include:

  • Transferring supervision of the less powerful person to another supervisor or faculty member;
  • Asking someone else to make decisions that affect the less powerful person, such as placing a different faculty member on a student’s dissertation committee.

Failure to report could lead to disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal of employees or expulsion of students.

A more powerful person who fails to comply with this policy could be considered to have acted with “malfeasance in office or willful or wanton neglect of duty.” In that case, that person would not be entitled to defense or
indemnification by Portland State in legal claims regarding the relationship.

No, because of the arrangements necessary to remove the conflict. However, the University will only disclose as much information as necessary to address the conflict of interest.

The Consensual Relationship Policy prohibits retaliation against anyone who discloses a consensual relationship or reports a violation of the policy. The University will investigate retaliation complaints promptly.

No. The Prohibited Discrimination and Harassment Policy addresses non-consensual relationships, including sexual harassment, stalking, intimidation, violence, and/or discrimination (among other things).