The University of Michigan is not firing the woman involved in the "inappropriate" relationship with Sherrone Moore.
Moore, the program's football coach, was fired for having an "inappropriate" relationship with a female staff member. He was later arrested on criminal trespassing and stalking charges, after learning of his firing. Michigan said in a statement last Wednesday night, December 10, that Moore was being fired immediately.
“When the findings of a university investigation into Coach Moore’s behavior were presented on Wednesday, we immediately terminated his employment,” Grasso wrote in a letter to the university," the school's president said.
“There is absolutely no tolerance for this conduct at the University of Michigan. None.”
But while Moore was fired for having the "inappropriate" relationship with the staff member, the woman - who also hid the relationship from the school for months, if not longer - is not being fired.
The University of Michigan announced that the woman is still employed by the university.
Why?
The school's policy does not apply to her. It only applied to Moore, since he was the person in power,
according to USA TODAY.
“Recognizing that Intimate Relationships exist or may develop in the workplace that are not initiated by a Supervisor and are free from coercion and abuse of power, immediate disclosure of the relationship by the Supervisor is required,” the policy states. “Failure of the Supervisor to disclose an Intimate Relationship is a serious offense and cause for discipline, up to and including dismissal from employment.”
The woman was technically encouraged to share news of the relationship with the school, though she wasn't required to do so.
“Although encouraged, Supervisees have no obligation to disclose,” the
policy states.
Why is that the school's policy?
The school recognizes that the person in the relationship who has more power at the school has the opportunity to abuse said power. The person without it has less.
“Intimate Relationships initiated by a Supervisor are at high risk of being unwelcomed and experienced by the Supervisee as harassment,” the policy states. “Supervisors are therefore responsible for understanding how their statements and conduct may reasonably be interpreted by persons who do not share their same level of power.”
The school clearly outlines its rules in Policy No. 201.97.
It states that a supervisor may not “implicitly or explicitly, initiate or attempt to initiate an intimate relationship with a supervisee.”
So it was Moore, who has been married for 10 years with three children, that was the one at fault.