University of Connecticut (UConn) Prof. Steve Harper resigned earlier this month after the school started investigating his relationship with a student.
Harper, who was an assistant professor of Digital Media and Design, was in a romantic relationship with an undergraduate student at the university. They met when she took his class. At the time, he was in his fifties and she was in her early twenties. UConn policy explicitly prohibits romantic relationships between faculty or staff members and undergraduate students.
Harper was married while he was in a relationship with the student. The student said she did not know Harper had a wife.
She claims that throughout their relationship, she paid for dates, hotels, and, eventually, rent for an apartment, which she also furnished out of pocket. Allegedly, he did not pay rent either for their shared apartment, even though his name was on the lease. She accrued over ten thousand dollars of debt during this time. Harper kept promising that he would pay her back for all of these expenses but only started to do so after they broke up.
Harper did not respond for request for comment.
Stressed and in debt, the student’s grades slipped. She was one class shy of graduating but did not make the minimum required grade. Because of both her GPA and her financial situation, she was scared she wouldn’t be allowed to return to school.
However, she was reinstated this term.
University Spokesperson Stephanie Reitz did not respond to questions about policies for reinstating students. She also did not respond to questions about if Harper will have financial compensation after his resignation, if there will be any other repercussions for his actions, or if the investigation is continuing.
The standards for investigating sexual harassment and code of conduct violations at colleges and universities can vary dramatically institution to institution. Cases within the same school may also be handled very differently.
Two years ago, UConn was accused of covering up a 2003 report filed against former Prof. Frank Noelker. A student accused Noelker of inviting her to his house and sexually assaulting her there. UConn allowed the professor to remain at the school as a full-time employee, and, over the next 19 years, more students made similar allegations.
Both individual states and the federal government issue guidance on how to deal with allegations of misconduct, and the recommendations and rules change overtime.
The Obama, Trump and Biden Administrations have all issued different, and contradictory, Title IX regulations.
In Jan. 2023, Donna Veach (R-Berlin) proposed a bill, An Act Concerning Investigations of Intimate Partner Violence by Institutions of Higher Education, which would grant victims of intimate partner violence access to university investigations, even if they weren’t students. That bill did not pass.
Veach’s efforts were in response to an incident where former Central Connecticut University (CCSU) student-athlete Peyton Stephens was accused of attacking his ex-girlfriend. He was arrested and on charges of 3rd-degree Domestic Violence and 2nd-Degree Breach of Peace. Even though he violated CCSU’s Student Handbook, Stephens was still allowed to attend school and play on the baseball team until his graduation. Throughout this process, his ex-girlfriend, who attended the University of Hartford, was not allowed to view information about Stephens’ hearing.
This isn’t the only controversy surrounding CCSU. Inside Investigator reported the school withheld information about misconduct allegations and investigations from Freedom of Information requests.
In January, Veach wrote a letter to the Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee asking it re-evaluate House Bill 6099 and allow her proposed changes, Inside Investigator reported.
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