Steven Harper, an assistant professor of digital media and design at the Stamford campus of the University of Connecticut resigned earlier this month, following an investigation into sexual misconduct that occurred with a female student.
Harper initially came under scrutiny after a student filed a complaint with the university’s Office of Institutional Equity on Sept. 18, according to a CT Insider article. The notice of investigation was sent on Oct. 1, which preceded Harper’s resignation by two days.
The CT Insider article said that Harper was initially suspended in September following the initial complaint.
According to the article, the student initially met Harper in a class he was teaching. When their relationship began the student was in her early twenties, while Harper was in his fifties. The relationship lasted from June 2023 to April 2024.
According to an interview that Connecticut Inside Investigator conducted with the student involved in the relationship, Harper was married throughout the course of their relationship, though she was unaware that he was married.
The student claims that she paid for dates and hotels throughout her relationship with Harper. She also said she rented an apartment with Harper, though Harper did not contribute to rent, and she had to pay rent and furnish the apartment herself. According to the interview she accrued over $10,000 of debt throughout her relationship with Harper. She said that Harper repeatedly promised that he would pay her back for the expenses she accrued, though he did not begin paying her back until after the relationship had ended.
In the interview the student said that due to the stress of the situation, she was not able to meet her minimum grade requirement and was one class short of graduating. She was reinstated at UConn at the beginning of the fall 2024 semester to finish her education.
Stephanie Reitz, the university spokesperson, said that Harper was no longer a faculty member at UConn, and resigned effective immediately on Oct. 3 when asked for university comment. She did not disclose more information about his resignation.
According to Reitz, “The OIE investigation into the complainant’s report is continuing.”
Reitz confirmed that all of Harper’s DMD courses and advising duties have been reassigned to other faculty members and are continuing without interruption.
Reitz also talked about UConn’s policy for relationships between faculty members and students.
“UConn adopted a policy in 2013 in which faculty/staff may not engage in relationships with students, even when both parties define it as consensual, due to the inherent power imbalance,” Reitz said. “The power difference between faculty and staff as compared to students means that any romantic relationship between a faculty or staff member and a student is potentially exploitative or could at any time be perceived as exploitative.”
This policy strictly prohibits any UConn employees from having an amorous relationship with any undergraduate student.
Any incidents of discrimination or harassment from UConn employees should be reported to the Office of Institutional Equity. For more information about how to report an incident or what constitutes an incident, visit https://equity.uconn.edu/discrimination/.