What We Do and Don’t Do

We do:

• Listen to your concerns and questions
• Help you identify underlying issues
• Identify and explore options and next steps
• Discuss resolution strategies
• Provide another—and impartial—perspective
• Help you prepare for a difficult conversation with another person
• Facilitate difficult conversations as an impartial third party
• Help open avenues of communication
• Suggest resources and make referrals to appropriate resources
• Work with you when you’re trying to navigate through campus bureaucracy
• Assist in sorting through why communications you’ve tried may have broken down, and offer some ways to address that
• Coaching
• Gather more information about your situation, when you ask for that, though the Ombuds does not have institutional authority to conduct an investigation.  If you need investigation, the Ombuds can refer you to the right place
• Track patterns of perceived challenges on campus, while maintaining confidentiality
• Suggest strategies for addressing systemic issues present on campus as appropriate
• Understands you choose to work with the Ombuds voluntarily and that you agree not to call the Ombuds to testify with respect to confidential communications

We don’t:

• Maintain nor provide records that identify you 
• Represent individuals in formal procedures
• Conduct or participate in formal investigations or processes
• Provide psychological counseling
• Offer legal advice
• Testify or gather evidence for formal administrative processes
• Advocate for individuals or departments
• Revise or rescind policies
• Serve as an Office of Record