Academics told to log Christmas gifts

Christmas cheer: Should it be logged?

Lecturers at Wolverhampton University are being discouraged from accepting gifts from students - to prevent accusations of favouritism.

Academics who do accept gifts have to declare them on a register.

They have to log all gifts, hospitality or other benefits and state what their relationship is with the student who has given the present.

The university recently investigated claims that a lecturer at the School of Legal Studies received gifts from a student which led to a conflict of interest.

The allegation was found to be groundless.

Common sense

The dean of the School of Legal Studies, Brian Mitchell, said: "It has always been the policy of the School of Legal Studies that students be discouraged from giving gifts to members of academic staff.

"Should this occur, the matter should be immediately referred to the dean."

"An allegation that a member of staff received a gift from a student has been fully investigated and found to be groundless.

Lecturers do not want to have to fill in lots of forms to accept a box of Roses

Association of University Teachers

"The policy was recently restated to clarify the requirement on staff to make such declarations and that the responsibility related not just to benefits received from students, but from other institutions and individuals with which the school has contact."

A spokesman for Warwick University says the institution has no direct guidlelines on receiving gifts and that lecturers used their common sense.

The topic is covered in the general statutes on behaviour of staff, which says they can be dismissed for conduct which is "immoral, scandalous or disgraceful".

The spokesman said: "We are one of the top five universities for research in the country so we expect our lecturers are intelligent enough to work out that accepting a box of Milk Tray does not fall into that category."

Bob Cratchitt

The Association of University Teachers (AUT) says most lecturers are happy to have clear, sensible, guidelines.

A spokesman said: "We welcome any rules or guidelines that help improve the transparency of universities.

"However, this is not a major problem and we do not want to get into more bureaucratic procedures.

"Lecturers do not want to have to fill in lots of forms to accept a box of Roses.

"University staff are like the Bob Cratchitts of this season - overworked and underpaid."