Mary Rowe's Crystal Ball 2020 Reflects COVID Concerns

In 1984, when she was the MIT Ombuds, Mary Rowe began "The Crystal Ball" as a help Ombuds organize and respond to new issues. Rowe collects wisdom from many Ombuds and synthesizes a summary, which she usually presents at the IOA annual conference. The COVID-19 pandemic has sidelined this presentation, but Rowe has prepared her summary nonetheless. Not surprisingly, this year's Crystal Ball reflects pandemic concerns.


Rowe writes:

Hi colleagues: A new issue of the Crystal Ball, informations from dozens of OOs, possibly of use. 

I am being asked about peers and bystanders in the time of COVID.  

Here are queries circulating around the world. 

Committed participation in the four protocols (accurate attestations about health conditions, masks, distancing in all milieus, and hand washing) is at the top of the list for coming classes, for all educational institutions. Here are questions circulating: 

• Will you have student health ALLIES about accurate attestations, masks, distancing in all milieus, and hand washing who will remind faculty and staff and fellow students to protect others by complying with their signed agreements to follow the protocols? Will faculty and staff be ALLIES for each other? 

• Are all members of our school to be formally designated ALLIES? What is our back up if an ALLY sees someone who does not conform?

• Will you ask groups of students in houses, or each class or other cohort,  to come up with their own protocols for bystander-ing? Use everything we know about creating buy-in, and peer pressure? 

• Make this part of the curriculum for every student at every level? (“You may one day soon be a manager. How will you do this when you are in charge?") 

• Will you run weekly surveys about participation in the four protocols of attestations, hand washing, masks and distancing? Ask students to keep a diary? 

• Some institutions are doing survey research on this; they are asking their students and teachers to fill out surveys on COVID protocols.

(I am also being asked the parallel questions about cheating.) 

Warmest  good wishes, 

~ mary

[All emphasis in original.]

(See also: JIOA, "The Several Purposes of the OO Crystal Ball.")