
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, April 21, 1993                   TAG: 9304210133
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: RICHMOND                                LENGTH: Short

ACLU MAY FIGHT UVA SEX LIAISON BAN

A proposed ban on sexual liaisons between faculty and students at the University of Virginia may violate the constitutional right to privacy and free association, the American Civil Liberties Union said Tuesday.

"If the policy is enacted we will monitor it very closely," said ACLU's Virginia executive director, Kent Willis.

The ACLU would likely file suit if it determines the ban violates the Constitution outright, Willis said. "Or it could be that the ban is enforced in a way that violated the Constitution down the road," Willis said.

The Faculty Senate meets Thursday to consider two similar versions of a sex ban. University officials have said the regulation would protect students from harassment or sexual intimidation.

The university is aware of the ACLU position, spokeswoman Louise Dudley said. The Faculty Senate president will distribute copies of the group's letter to Senate members before voting Thursday, she said.

Any policy that bars adult consensual relationships is constitutionally suspect, the ACLU said in a letter to Robert H. Kretsinger, president of the Faculty Senate.

"The ACLU believes that the Constitution protects privacy and associational rights that allow consenting adults to explore and create their own relationships," Willis wrote.

Policies that discourage but do not expressly ban such liaisons are acceptable, so long as they do not carry punishment for violations, Willis wrote.

The school should concentrate instead on eliminating sexual harassment, Willis said.

by CNB