What the Ombud Will NOT Do
Independent, Informal, Impartial, Confidential...
The Ombudsman will not:
  • act as an advocate for you in a dispute. The Ombudsman is neutral and impartial.
  • represent individuals in appeals or formal grievance procedures either on campus or-off.
  • provide legal representation or give legal advice.
  • get involved if you have a non-college related problem or complaint.
  • overturn binding decisions, but can investigate procedural fairness.
  • serve as an office of record. Speaking with the Ombudsman is not "notice to the college" of problems or policy violations. Often persons will seek advice from the Ombudsman privately, before deciding what actions to take in response to a problem. If you want the college to "be on notice," that is, formally to know about a particular problem and formally respond, the Ombudsman can help you identify what office you would need to contact.
  • keep formal written records. The Ombudsman can help you determine how to keep your own records, if you need to do that.