Ombuds at University of Pennsylvania Report Surge in Cases During "Stressful" 2019-20 Year

Recapping a year that "brought many challenges to the Penn community and to the Office of the Ombuds," University Ombuds Jennifer A. Pinto-Martin and Associate Ombuds Marcia Martínez-Helfman report that their cases rose 8.7% in the 2019-20 academic year. University staff accounted for the largest proportion of visitors (45%), followed by faculty (24%), graduate and professional students (16%), undergraduate students (9%), post-doctorates (3%), and others (4%). in providing Ombuds services to over 40,000 faculty, staff, and students.
The UPenn Ombuds noted the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and racial injustice concerns on the campus stakeholders: 

It should not come as a surprise that the pandemic’s dramatic disruptions brought many visitors to the Office of the Ombuds. Soon after the transition to remote work for “non-essential” employees, concerns were raised regarding changed office procedures, the definition of “essential,” and fears about disease transmission on campus. Faculty worried about the impact of the virus on research agendas, th eir tenure clocks, and reappointment procedures. Students were troubled by their lack of access to housing and the difficulties posed by online learning. The national movement against racial injustice has also influenced the work of the Ombuds Office. In the wake of the killing of George Floyd and the energizing of the Black Lives Matter movement, we have found an increase in the number of visitors with concerns about racism and bias, both conscious and unconscious.

Their full report is available online. (UPenn Almanac.)

Related posts: University of Pennsylvania Ombuds Notes Rise of Disrespectful Treatment in 2017 Annual Report; Cases Tick Up for University of Pennsylvania Ombuds in 2018-19; University of Pennsylvania Names 2020-2022 Ombuds.