Standards of Practice/Ethical Principles

The Office of Student Ombudsperson Services operates according to the International Ombuds Association (IOA) Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice. For details, please refer to the pdf online documents from the IOA: Code of Ethics [pdf] & Standards of Practice [pdf].

Impartiality

The Office of Student Ombudsperson Services operates impartially.  The Student Ombudsperson does not take sides in any issue.  The Ombudsperson does not advocate on behalf of the student or the university but rather promotes fair and equitable processes and procedures.

Informality

The Office of Student Ombudsperson Services operates informally.  All communications are “off-the-record.”  The Student Ombudsperson does not make any judgments or participate in any internal or external formal processes.

Confidentiality  

The Office of Student Ombudsperson does not maintain confidentiality when there is a disclosure of suspected discrimination or harassment on the basis of a protected characteristic such as sex or gender, which includes sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating and domestic violence, stalking, and related retaliation.  Otherwise, the office holds communications with those seeking assistance in confidence, unless given permission to do so.  To that end, no permanent records are maintained other than general demographic and incident data for reporting trends.