[alexgmcm]

This is a bit sad though, one of the Professors at my University used to invite even his undergraduate tutor group to his house for dinner with his family to get to know them better.

It was a bit unusual but it seemed to work, I mean he was one of the most popular professors and you felt like you could approach him about anything.

Although to be fair, I suppose that wasn't a single student, and they probably spent most of the meal discussing Physics and their goals at University.

[URSpider94]

I see nothing wrong with inviting study groups, research groups, or even small groups of 2-3 students over for dinner, on outings, etc. In fact, I think it's perfectly appropriate, and a great idea.

The issue in my mind comes when you are having INDIVIDUAL meetings in social contexts, with either employees or students. The first question to ask yourself is, "could this be construed as a date". The second question is, "if I wouldn't have this meeting with someone in my romantic attraction group, because it wouldn't be appropriate, then am I unfairly disadvantaging my students who are in that group"