College and gay dating

It follows years of discussion and fits into the school’s broader attempt to be more inclusive, he said.The student handbook will be revised over the summer to clarify that students who aren’t employees are free to be in same-sex relationships so long as they’re not sexually active — the same expectation the school has for heterosexual students who are not married.Details about which student jobs will be subject to the dating prohibition will be released in the coming months.And Schubert has already said that some positions will be exempt because oversight bodies like accreditors and the NCAA “have certain standards that they are also interested in ensuring are in-place and intact.” “We want to be careful that in those circumstances and situations that we are not taking any positions that are contrary with the standards that we've agreed to uphold,” Schubert said.

The policy already applies to faculty and staff at Abilene Christian.

And a school conduct code has, for years, said sexual relations should only take place within a marriage between a man and a woman.

Many religious colleges across the country have similar rules about same-sex relationships and premarital sex.

The NCAA referred questions about the dating policy to Abilene Christian officials. A federal statute enacted in 1972, Title IX, bars colleges that receive federal funding from discriminating on the basis of sex.

While school leaders are reluctant to risk losing their accreditation or ability to participate in the NCAA, they seem less worried about being policed by the U. The statute is now widely understood to ensure students are treated equitably in housing, admissions and athletics regardless of their gender identity, too.