The University of Colorado has opened a public comment period for its newly revised Consensual Amorous Relationships Policy, previously known as the Conflict of Interest in Amorous Relationships Policy (APS 5015). The university community is invited to review the draft and submit feedback by March 13, 2026. The proposed implementation date for the updated policy is July 1, 2026.
Valerie Simons, vice president of compliance and equity and system Title IX coordinator, led a working group made up of staff and faculty from various departments including Equity Offices, Human Resources, Intercollegiate Athletics, and the Office of University Counsel. This group was formed at the request of CU President Todd Saliman to review and update the existing policy.
Initial drafts were shared with campus stakeholders, university leadership, and student representatives. The current phase involves further review through the system Office of Policy and Efficiency to gather input from students, faculty, staff, campus governance groups, and external stakeholders. Each campus will organize student focus groups to ensure broad participation before finalizing the policy.
The revised policy aims to broaden the definition of “evaluative authority” to address concerns about favoritism or conflicts of interest arising from power dynamics between individuals. It also sets out clear prohibitions on certain consensual relationships and outlines procedures for disclosing and resolving potential conflicts. Additionally, it clarifies distinctions between consensual relationships covered by this policy and those involving harassment or coercion that fall under separate sexual misconduct guidelines.
Feedback collected by March 13 will be reviewed by the Office of Policy and Efficiency before being forwarded to university leadership and the systemwide working group. After considering all input, final approval will come from the office of the president in collaboration with campus leaders.
Community members can provide feedback via a link included in the draft policy (https://www.cu.edu/ope/forms/feedback). Further details about the proposed changes are available online.
