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Ombudsperson

Guiding Principles of the Ombudsperson Council

Objectivity, impartiality, independence, informality, and confidentiality*.

  • What an ombudsperson does

    • Listens and discusses questions, complaints, and concerns in neutral and detached fashion.
    • Provides answers to your questions or helps you find the person who can.
    • Explains University policies and procedures and their effect.
    • Opens avenues of communication.
    • Facilitates conflict resolution.
    • Mediates disputes so that an acceptable resolution for all parties can be found.
    • Provides advice when a remedy is not within the Council’s jurisdiction.
    • Identifies patterns of problems and complaints.
    • Actively represents commitment to fundamental fairness within the University campus community.

  • What an ombudsperson does not do

    • Resolve grievances that are in formal litigation.
    • Take formal disciplinary actions.
    • Address formal complaints or grievance hearings.
    • Address union and/or arbitration hearings.

With regard to grievances, complaints or concerns, please note that notice to the Ombudsperson Council does not constitute notice to the institution. Members of the Council do not testify in formal or legal actions, are not part of the official grievance process, and have no power to order rule changes or behavioral changes of individuals. However, the Council does have an obligation to bring attention to policies, programs, personnel and institutional decisions that violate rights of members of the University community.

*The Ombudsperson Council takes specific action related to an individual’s issue only with that person’s express permission. In addition, the Council has responsibility to maintain in confidence the identity of the individual. The only exception to this confidentiality is where there appears to be imminent risk of serious harm, and where there is no other reasonable option and/or where required by law. Whether this risk exists is a determination to be made by the Council members in consultation with the University’s General Counsel. Best practice is to interpret “imminent risk of serious harm” as narrowly as possible – for example, imminent risk to human life.