A man I used to work with in the retail industry had a degree in history, and I often asked him why he didn’t have a job related to his degree. He told me that the only job he would really be interested in doing would be teaching, but that he couldn’t teach because he would be too tempted by “all the young hotties” he would be surrounded by each day.

His reasoning was that he knew he would not be able to date any of the girls in his classes and he worried that he would get himself into trouble.

This man, who had never taught before, was aware of the proper boundaries in student-teacher relationships, so why is it that so many teachers are getting themselves into trouble by dating or sleeping with their students?

Two weeks ago a Sacramento State teaching intern was caught having sex with a minor who was also her student: two mistakes in one circumstance. Had the student not been a minor she would not be facing jail time, but she would still be losing her job. Do the same rules apply to college students and professors?University fraternization rules are vague because everyone is considered an adult at the college level and should know where to draw the line.

There are some rules though, that those of you who consider hitting on your hot math professor should know.P>Rule No. 1: If it is your hot math professor, he is off limits.

Teachers cannot date students who are in their classes. They also cannot date students if the professor supervises them or if they work as the teacher’s assistant.

The rule, however, (this is the vague part) does not say specifically that students can’t date professors after the semester is over.

David Wagner, vice president of human resources, said in an e-mail interview, “Our sexual harassment policy cautions teachers that even if a student is not currently in a class, there may be perceptions of unequal treatment based on this relationship.”

So basically, you’re okay as long as no one else thinks you were treated better because you started dating your teacher after class.

The approach is too subjective, however, and means people who think they aren’t doing anything wrong can end up getting themselves into trouble.

This is why student-teacher relationships at least should not be allowed between students and teachers affiliated with the same department.

Even though students and teachers in college are adults, they can still have a difficult time remembering where to draw the line once it’s been crossed.

Professors, male or female, who don’t think they can handle being in class with “all the young hotties” should find a more fitting career.