VCU Office of the Ombudsperson
CONTACT INFORMATION
Frank R. Baskind, Ph.D.
Faculty/staff Ombudsperson
Grace E. Harris Hall - Room 5151
1015 Floyd Avenue
Phone: (804) 828-1040
E-mail: fbaskind@vcu.edu or ombuds@vcu.edu
MAILING ADDRESS
Office of the Ombudsperson
Virginia Commonwealth University
P.O. Box 842015
Richmond, Virginia 23284-2015
Virginia Commonwealth University’s ombudsperson is a designated confidential and informal dispute resolution practitioner whose major function is to provide assistance to VCU faculty, staff and postdoctoral trainees. The ombudsperson is an advocate for fairness.
The ombudsperson is independent of VCU’s normal reporting and managerial processes. This position listens to complaints, provides information, facilitates communication and helps arrange mediation or conflict resolution between or among members of VCU’s faculty, staff and postdoctoral trainees.
Confidentiality
Visitors to this office can safely “vent” to the ombudsperson. All conversations and written materials are confidential unless the visitor to the office provides specific permission to discuss the issue with others. The only exception to maintaining such confidentiality is when the ombudsperson has determined that an imminent threat of serious harm exists to the visitor or others.
No employee shall suffer loss of pay for reasonable time spent in bringing a complaint to the ombudsperson. No individual shall be retaliated against for using the services of the ombudsperson.
The meaning of “ombuds”
The term “ombuds” is a Swedish word that refers to the people’s representative, an appointed person who has a charge or commission. On this Web site, the term “ombuds” is used interchangeably with “ombudsperson.”
History
VCU appointed its first ombudsperson in July 2006, to serve as an alternative channel for communication and resolving issues.