Ombudsperson’s role and purpose

VCU’s faculty/staff ombudsperson provides confidential, neutral and informal dispute resolution services for VCU’s faculty, staff and postdoctoral trainees. The office is available to assist VCU employees who seek guidance with the resolution of academic or administrative issues and disputes. Its services supplement, but do not replace, other administrative processes at the university. The office works to facilitate communication and assist parties in reaching mutually acceptable agreements in order to find fair and equitable resolutions to concerns that arise at the university. The ombudsperson’s office also reports general trends of issues and provides feedback throughout the organization, and advocates systems change when appropriate without disclosing confidential communications.

Specific duties

• Listens carefully to concerns and complaints brought by VCU’s faculty, staff and postdoctoral trainees.
• Helps analyze issues and identify options to resolve problems.
• Identifies and explains relevant university policies and procedures.
• Identifies pertinent documents, policies, procedures, services and programs that may help the visitor to the Office of the Ombudsperson.
• With permission of the visitor to the office, informally investigates concerns and talks with involved parties.
• Provides information on resources within the university.
• Serves as a neutral party to solve problems and resolve conflict. The ombudsperson does not take sides, but works to achieve fair outcomes for all. 
• Arranges for mediation or discussions between parties when appropriate.
• Advises about and makes referrals to other offices as needed.
• Identifies problem areas facing faculty and staff, and recommends changes in university policies and procedures that generate conflict.
• Collaborates with other campus offices on issues of general concern.
• Brings complaints to the attention of the appropriate university official.
• Issues periodic reports summarizing activities. These reports are in anonymous and aggregate form to preserve confidentiality and prohibit identification of individuals.

The ombudsperson does not:

• Represent any party in a dispute.
• Render judgments or make decisions on issues brought to the office.
• Discuss the situation with anyone without the consent of the visitor to the office.  
• Force a solution on anyone.
• Guarantee a resolution that pleases the visitor to the office.
• Compromise, replace or make exceptions to VCU policies or procedure.
• Provide legal advice.
• Provide psychological counseling.
• Make decisions for administrators or others.
• Determine “guilt” or “innocence” of those accused of wrong-doing.
• Conduct formal investigations.
• Assign sanctions or discipline to individuals.
• Participate in grievance processes or lawsuits. The ombudsperson may help arrange mediation or direct individuals to appropriate grievance policies or resources.
• Address issues not related to VCU.
• Serve as an office of notice to VCU.

Who should seek help from the ombudsperson?

Administrative and professional faculty as well as teaching and research faculty may access the services of this office. All of VCU’s classified staff and postdoctoral trainees may access the services as well.

Examples of questions and issues

• Communication issues with colleagues.
• Departmental concerns.
• Discipline/promotion/demotion.
• Ethical considerations.
• Performance evaluations.
• Retaliation.
• Research data ownership/usage/authorship.
• University policies and procedures.
• Whistleblowing.

Referrals

• Discrimination — VCU is an equal opportunity institution and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, age, gender, political affiliation, veteran’s status, sexual orientation or disability. 
• Physical/racial/sexual harassment.
• Threats of immediate harm to self or another individual will be reported to VCU police.