WHAT IS AN OMBUDSPERSON?
The ombuds is a person who helps degree-seeking students, faculty, and staff think through any problem you are having at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) and collaborate on solutions that seem most appropriate to your circumstances.
Click the link above to submit a confidential concern to the ombuds. The ombuds will contact you about the issue based on the contact information you provide.
The Office of the Ombudsperson is not authorized to accept notice of claims on behalf of SAIC; communication with the office does not constitute “official notice” to SAIC. The ombudsperson cannot participate, as a witness or otherwise, in any formal proceeding on or off campus.
WHAT MAKES AN OMBUDSPERSON UNIQUE?
The ombuds adheres to the Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics of the International Ombuds Association (IOA). These standards center around four concepts:
Independent
The ombuds is independent from any formal reporting structure at SAIC. This means that the ombuds is not reporting on their day-to-day activities or getting feedback from others at SAIC on how to handle any potential situation.
Informal
The ombuds plays no role in any formal processes at SAIC. For example, the ombuds would not be involved in any formal process with Human Resources, individual departments, or the student code of conduct. Instead, the ombuds helps you think through all of your options. If a formal process seems the most appropriate to you, the ombuds can discuss with you how each process works.
Neutral
The ombuds serves as a neutral party. The goal of the ombuds is to help the student, faculty, or staff member(s) facilitate an outcome that seems fair to the person or people involved.
Confidential
The ombuds is confidential. Whatever a visitor shares in a meeting will not be shared with anyone else unless the student, faculty, or staff member has specifically discussed this as an outcome. The only exception to this rule would be if the ombuds is concerned about the immediate safety of you or someone else.
EMAIL THE OMBUDSPERSON AT OMBUDS@SAIC.EDU
WHO DOES THE OMBUDSPERSON SERVE?
The ombudsperson serves degree-seeking students, faculty, and staff. Watch this short video about the office.
HOW CAN AN OMBUDSPERSON HELP ME?
Some ways the Ombuds could help you include:
- Providing a safe and confidential forum to talk through individual and group issues
- Listening and helping to clarify underlying issues and interests
- Aiding in talking through thoughts and feelings about a difficult situation
- Helping to think through the most appropriate strategies and approaches to an ongoing dispute
- Assisting in developing and evaluating options or courses of action and thinking through how to pursue them
- Offering an impartial perspective
- Thinking through an agenda for a meeting to be efficient and constructive
- Assisting in developing a structure for a difficult conversation or meeting
- Helping prepare for a negotiation
- Looking into a problem informally (with permission from the student, faculty, or staff member)
- Providing information regarding policies, procedures, services, and programs
- Coaching and role-playing to help provide conflict management skills and enable the student, faculty, or staff member to manage the issue themselves
- Facilitating discussions and/or mediating disputes to resolve issues when voluntarily agreed upon by the parties
- Providing shuttle diplomacy by talking with parties involved in a matter separately, going back and forth between them, to help resolve a conflict
- Providing systemic feedback to appropriate stakeholders—while protecting the confidentiality of individuals—to support positive change
What are examples of issues that might be appropriate for an ombudsperson?
- You suspect a policy violation has occurred, and you want to discuss the options available to you and the possible outcomes of those options
- You are having a difficult time with a coworker and would like to role-play a discussion with them
- You are frustrated with communication breakdowns with your supervisor and want to discuss strategies for approaching the conversation with them
- You are a faculty member and you are having a difficult time with a student in your class
- You are interested in a mediation with another person in your registered student group
- You believe your department chair is treating you differently than other faculty members
- You were in a relationship with another person at SAIC, and you need the help of the ombudsperson to conduct “shuttle diplomacy” to discuss boundaries now that the relationship has ended
- You have a unique situation, and you are not sure where to start
Click the link above to submit a confidential concern to the ombuds. The ombuds will contact you about the issue based on the contact information you provide.
The Office of the Ombudsperson is not authorized to accept notice of claims on behalf of SAIC; communication with the office does not constitute “official notice” to SAIC. The ombudsperson cannot participate, as a witness or otherwise, in any formal proceeding on or off campus.
MEET YOUR OMBUDSPERSON
Patrick Spence
Patrick Spence has worked at SAIC since 1999 in various capacities. Previous to his role as the ombudsperson, Patrick served as the associate dean of student affairs for campus life. In his roles at SAIC, Patrick has enjoyed his opportunities to build collaborative relationships across the institution and enjoys continuing to serve students, faculty, and staff at SAIC. Patrick has an M.Ed. from Texas A&M University and a Ph.D. from Loyola University Chicago.
OMBUDS PROGRAM OPPORTUNITIES
SPRING 2024
The Ombuds office is offering a number of programs this term for the community. These programs can be adjusted to your needs in terms of length and location (virtual or in-person). Please contact the Ombuds office to schedule a presentation at ombuds@saic.edu.
Managing Difficult Conversations
This presentation will review key concepts in framing conversations that may be difficult and have lasting impact on relationships. The presentation will focus on key strategies to implement in order to steer the conversation towards a productive and open dialogue.
Empathetic, Active Listening Workshop
The most important skill in conflict resolution is empathetic, active listening. This workshop will review key concepts in active listening, and use scenarios and case studies to strengthen skills.
Conflict Styles in the Workplace
Understanding the conflict style of those around you (and your own conflict style) is helpful to approaching a difficult situation. This presentation will allow you to take a conflict style assessment, and also focus on strategies on managing conflict based on various conflict styles of those around you.
Nonviolent Communication Workshop
One key to managing an emotional or difficult conversation is the framing of the conversation and use of language. In this presentation, learn key concepts to engaging emotional conversations in ways that can lead to mutual understanding, and practice these skills through scenarios.
Strategies for Working with “Difficult” People in the Workplace
A common concern for staff is working with someone that they perceive as difficult. Perhaps differing values, approaches to communication, or work styles have created friction. This presentation focuses on strategies to work constructively with other employees that you find difficult, as well as ways manage your own responses by reframing some behaviors you might find frustrating.
Taking a Restorative Justice Approach to Harm in your Relationships
Whether the relationships is personal, professional, or family, it is a common experience for everyone involved to feel “stuck” once harm has been done. This presentation will review ways that you can use the principles of restorative justice to develop a path forward.
Interested in another topic? Please email me and we can discuss a presentation/workshop that will meet your needs.
