During a time when political protests are rocking campus and potential changes to immigration laws have some students unsure if they’ll be able to stay in the United States, students may be looking for somewhere to discuss how it will affect their college careers.

Syracuse University is continuing talks to create an Ombuds Office: a confidential centralized resource for the university community to discuss and resolve conflicts in their lives. Students currently have several offices to air grievances and discuss problems they’re having in classes, work or elsewhere, but there is no assurance these offices are completely confidential, impartial, independent and informal.

Creating one location and resource for students to air their issues can help mitigate the amount of confusing and conflicting advice students receive. But other conflict-resolution resources on campus shouldn’t suffer to make that happen, and offices providing similar services shouldn’t be cut unless an Ombuds Office makes them redundant.

It’s difficult to determine what the most beneficial elements of an Ombuds Office will be. University administrators can look to several peer institutions that have established campus Ombuds offices to determine what might work best at SU.

Georgetown University, for example, has had a faculty Ombuds Office since 1999, and has divided its Ombuds services into separate offices for faculty, graduate students and other groups.

SU may also want to consider tailoring services to specific groups within the campus community, since it seems that of anyone on campus, faculty are the most concerned with creating an Ombuds Office. That could say something about who is most likely to use the office, especially considering staff grievances brought forward in results from SU’s campus climate survey. But it also shows students likely aren’t aware of how an Ombuds office could enhance their experiences at the university.

For an Ombuds Office to be effective, SU should ensure students know what the office has to offer, and it should ensure those students are the office’s main focus. Creating an Ombuds Office may not be an extremely visible change to student life, but if students know they have a safe place on campus where they can unleash their grievances with someone who is impartial, it will be worth it.

The Daily Orange Editorial Board serves as the voice of the organization and aims to contribute the perspectives of students to discussions that concern Syracuse University and the greater Syracuse community. The editorial board’s stances are determined by a majority of its members. You can read more about the editorial board here.

Published on September 18, 2017 at 11:48 pm

Contact: opinion@dailyorange.com