An ad hoc student group, "A Choice SCAD," is protesting some of the pandemic responses by the Savannah College of Art and Design. Last week, a student leader met with SCAD's Ombuds, Sophia Alletto, recorded the conversation, and posted an excerpt. (Alletto has been the Ombuds since 2008.) A follow-up post by A Choice SCAD explained that the recording was legal under Georgia's wiretapping law, which follows "one-party consent" rule. SCAD's Dean of Students later requested the group take down the recording of the Ombuds. They refused and threatened to release the full recording. The situation continues to develop. (Twitter; LinkedIn.)
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Most Ombuds would consider this a complete breach of trust.
ReplyDeleteThe Ombuds don't make the options they offer their visitors. The Ombuds don't have the power to make new options or change the reality of a bad situation. There's no denying that there are times when the visitor doesn't like the options available. That's not the Ombuds' fault.
This excerpt makes Sophia sound like a spokesperson for the school. In light of the stressful situations student ombuds are dealing with across academe during the COVID-19 crisis, it may be wise to caveat discussions about options with an acknowledgment that the ombuds is just relaying what administrators have shared and does not necessarily speak for the university. Tough spot there.
ReplyDeleteI'm giving her the benefit of the doubt since we are hearing just a snippet of what serves the protesters' purposes.
DeleteThis would be a good discussion to have within IOA as a serious ethical concern. I also live in a state with the same laws and could be recorded. Out of frustration and disempowerment, the students used this as a weapon. How to recover and restore trust would be a helpful discussion.
ReplyDelete