Married Palo Alto politician confesses to 'steamy' affair with female student while she was Stanford dean

A joined leader successful California has admitted to a year-long matter pinch a female student while she was a dean astatine Stanford University 13 years ago.

Julie Lythcott-Haims, who serves connected Palo Alto City Council, confessed to nan narration pinch Olivia Swanson Haas, which happened astatine a clip erstwhile she was recognized for her contributions to undergraduate education.

Her book 'How to Raise an Adult' became a New York Times bestseller successful 2015, and she was praised for her 'deep compassion' towards young people.

'Being successful a narration pinch a student was inappropriate erstwhile it happened 13 years ago, and it would beryllium inappropriate now,' nan leader said successful a connection connected Friday.

Haas first shared specifications astir nan matter connected Thursday successful a station connected LGBT online magazine Autostraddle titled 'I Had an Affair With My College Dean,' but she did not sanction Lythcott-Haims.

Haas revealed she had an matter pinch a joined dean astatine her assemblage erstwhile she was 22.

'My first and only queer narration was kept a secret, but not for nan accustomed reasons,' she wrote.

'Rather, my first and only queer narration was kept a concealed because erstwhile I was 22 and a elder successful college, I had an matter pinch a well-known dean astatine my assemblage — a joined female doubly my age.'

Haas described nan dean arsenic a 'school personage — charismatic, adored' and said she 'craved attraction from powerful people.'

Discussing nan 'tremendous magnitude of stress' she felt during nan relationship, Haas said her 'massive' concealed remained hidden from her friends and family.

'We weren’t breaking immoderate rules — she checked nan university’s policies — but it was clear that what we were doing put her occupation astatine risk, truthful I told nary one,' she added.

She claimed nan dean's husband, whom Haas called 'pale, benevolent shadow' and 'a inheritance character' successful their affair, knew astir nan narration but accepted it, and he joked: 'Just don’t bargain her a car.'

'At nan time, I didn’t understand really personification could beryllium happy for their spouse to person different intersexual partners, but I seldom interacted pinch him and recovered I could mostly put him retired of my mind,' she added.

The narration betwixt Lythcott-Haims and Haas ended erstwhile nan student told her parents who were 'horrified.'

'Suddenly words for illustration manipulated and maltreatment of powerfulness were being utilized and shame started to calcify successful nan parts of maine that had desired her — tremendous embarrassment — arsenic I began to spot my awesome emotion communicative done a very different lens,' she wrote.

Her mother told nan schoolhouse astir nan dean's behaviour by making an anonymous extremity and it led to her departure.

Haas said Lythcott-Haims emailed her a fewer years agone to opportunity she felt ashamed astir what she had done.

'I apologized privately to Ms. Haas years ago,' nan councilwoman said successful a statement.

'Now I want to publically apologize to her for my actions and their effect connected her.

'I besides apologize to my erstwhile colleagues and students who had nan correct to expect amended of me. And to members of my extended family for whom nan nationalist airing of this matter whitethorn beryllium difficult.'

Stanford officials did not alteration field argumentation connected unit and student relationships until 2013, which was a twelvemonth aft Lythcott-Haims near nan university.

The 'Consensual Sexual aliases Romantic Relationships successful nan Workplace and Educational Setting' argumentation was changed to prohibition unit members from having relationships pinch students because of their 'broad power aliases authority complete students and their experience'.

But a assemblage spokesperson said relationships pinch undergraduates were ever heavy discouraged earlier this.

DailyMail.com has contacted Lythcott-Haims, Haas and Stanford for comment.