At the University of Miami there is a system in which students can anonymously report any 'concerns about unsafe behaviors' of their peers. The reports are given to administration officials, who will then determine if a peer has 'reached a crisis level.' In addition there is a 'Report A Concern' website, where a student can also report--however, if false information is provided by a student, that student 'may be subject to university disciplinary action.'
Is this for real? Are we violating our students' rights to privacy? Of course we are concerned about health and safety matters at the university, but is this the way to go about COVID-19 concerns? When 'Reporting A Concern' can other concerns be reported as well? Are we scaring our students not to get tested for the Coronavirus? Will we also tap our students' phones in order to install an application that tracks their location to combat contact tracing? Do we really think our students will report their friends and subject their peers to unforeseen penalties?
This process seems like it can give rise to bullying, ostracism and social isolation amongst our students.
Do we really want this to occur?
Please consider my services by looking at my website at: www.bullyingpreventionconsulting.com or write to me at bullyingpreventionconsulting@gmail.com. We offer individual consults as well as workshops for small or large scale groups.
Comments