Did you know most universities forbid teacher and student relationships? You'd never know it based on the many media storylines that center around that exact relationship. HBOMax's Sex Lives of College Girls is no different. In the first episode, we see Whitney kissing her soccer coach and alluding to an affair that's been going on since the summer.

The Affair

The problem with relationships between students and teachers or coaches is that even though they might be consensual, there is a clear power imbalance. Students, especially ones that have just turned 18 and gained a little bit of freedom from their parents, are still impressionable. They may think they're adults making adult decisions, but they are being guided to these decisions by actual adults. Even if the freshman student doesn't think they are being manipulated, they still are.

Whether Coach Dalton intended to or not, he still manipulated Whitney into a relationship with him. This is even more clear when we learn that he is married, prefers Whitney because of her skin color, and lies to her over and over about breaking up with his wife.

Even Coach Dalton suspects his behavior is inappropriate because he's caught googling whether it's illegal for a coach to sleep with his student. But he continues to pursue the relationship. His wife ends up reporting him to the head coach of the soccer team, who begins inquiring as to with whom he might be having an affair. It isn't until the end of the season that Whitney confesses it was her, and Coach Dalton is fired.

How a Student Defense Attorney Can Help

The fictitious university that the one in Sex Lives of College Girls is modeled after real-life prestigious New England schools, like Dartmouth and Tufts. Both schools specifically state that it is inappropriate for professors and faculty to date students. At Tufts, the administration explains that faculty should not date their students because the consent is not completely voluntary. If a professor wants to date their student, the student may feel, even just in the back of their mind, that not doing so would hurt their grade. Whitney may have thought if she broke it off with Coach Dalton, it would hurt her chances of playing on the soccer team.

College professors and faculty have a professional responsibility for their students. As such, relationships like Whitney and Dalton's are extremely frowned upon - and usually outlawed - by the university. Such prohibitions are generally expressed in a school's Title IX policies and employment policies. If you are a professor, coach, faculty, or staff member who has been accused of acting inappropriately with a student or having an inappropriate relationship with a student, an attorney advisor can help you navigate the potential repercussions you might be subject to.

Attorney advisors understand the delicate nature of accusations like these and will work tirelessly to ensure you are not unfairly punished, and attorney Joseph D. Lento and the Lento Law Firm are experts in the field, having helped countless school faculty and staff members across the United States overcome allegations related to their employment. Call 888-535-3686 today to schedule your consultation or contact us online.