OMBUDS OFFICE MISSION
The Ombuds office exists to enhance the university
and ability to assist students with the solving of problems. The
Ombuds office must maintain independence and accountability simultaneously.
The Ombuds office is not an advocate for the student, nor for
the University, but an advocate for CSU student success.
PURPOSE
At most colleges and universities, the ombuds
office serves three primary purposes:
(1) to assist clients in resolving individual
concerns,
(2) to identify areas where systemic problems
of the institution exist, and
(3) to make recommendations for policy, procedural,
or institutional change.
OMBUDSPERSON'S ROLE
An Ombudsperson, by definition, has the responsibility
and authority to investigate complaints. The Ombudsperson is an
objective professional with a concern for fairness, equity, and
accuracy, a comprehensive campus information resource, a meticulous
and thorough investigator, a collaborator with an awareness of
the concerns of the individual as well as the concerns of the
institution. The Ombudsperson is an educator, teaching students
the skills needed to problem-solve for themselves and a means
to help the institution function more smoothly with a listening
ear, an objective advisor, an informative on rules and procedures.
The Ombudsperson is an advocate for equity. One phone call by
the Ombudsperson may serve to inform the institution of the problem
and may result in a correction. Case closed.
POLICIES AND PROCEDURES OF THE OMBUDS
OFFICE
The student must go through every step in the
level of the complaint/grievance process within the department
they are having a problem. The student must proceed with that
departments' procedures and policies before coming to the Ornbuds
office if it pertains to department complaints, course offerings,
grades, or personal conflicts (w/staff or professor). After the
student has exhausted all avenues to resolve a problem or complaint
and is still unsatisfied, he or she may bring the issue to the
Ombudsperson.
The following will apply:
* The student may come to the Ombuds office
without an appointment regarding his or her complaint/grievance.
* The student may then fill out an Ombuds form with a brief explanation
of their complaint/grievance.
* The Ombudsperson will then investigate the complaint/grievance
in a timely fashion.
* The student will then be notified by the Ombudsperson regarding
the outcome of the complaint/grievance.
The Ombuds Office Brochure (PDF)
For more information, contact:
Shirley Newman
Ombudsperson
CRSU 190
Office Hours:
9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Phone: (773) 995-2496
email: s-newman@csu.edu
|
