This article is 3 years old. Senior Cambridge academics are matching and messaging undergraduates as young as 18 on the Tinder dating app. Following reports of dons contacting several students over the app, a Varsity investigation found 12 profiles claiming to be University staff engaging with undergraduates on Tinder.
One such don is a former college Vice-Master, while another, who not only matched but also messaged two young undergraduate students, is a professor and a visiting fellow.
One Tinder user, "Spartacus, 44", who advertised his links to the University in his bio, confessed to having used a fake name on the app.
The University has made it clear that sexual or otherwise intimate relationships between students and staff create a conflict of interest, writes Esme Kenney, and risks situations of abuses of power or favouritism. This means that the member of staff has, or will have, any academic, pastoral and administrative responsibility for the student, for instance, supervising the student or writing their reference.
If such a situation arises, the member of staff should inform the head of their department or a senior member of HR, so that arrangements can be made so that the member of staff and the student will not have any professional connection. If the member of staff fails to do this, the situation would be treated as a disciplinary matter. When creating a profile, Tinder users specify a preferred age range.
