The ombuds helps individuals and groups find solutions to conflicts and offers a diverse set of services to the internal community. An ombuds performs a variety of tasks, including:

• Listening
• Clarifying policies and procedures
• Offering an impartial perspective 
• Identifying resources 
• Providing options to issues 
• Providing coaching for difficult conversations 
• Recommending constructive changes to university policies 
• Facilitating team discussions 
• Conducting mediations 
• Offering conflict resolution workshops and presentations 
• Delivering customized workshops and presentations

There are several reasons you might visit the Ombuds office, including conflict resolution, ethical concerns, and seeking guidance and support.

Conflict Resolution

With the Ombuds, you can think through a conflict or concern confidentially, discuss a situation off the record with someone knowledgeable, or seek help in communicating with others. The Ombuds can assist with difficult conversations (whether with a colleague, supervisor, or others), help you explore alternatives for resolving problems, and teach you how to resolve conflicts independently. They can also provide facilitation or informal mediation support and assist in resolving conflicts informally.

Ethical and Misconduct Concerns

You can visit the Ombuds office to think through such matters, including academic, financial, or research-related misconduct.

Guidance and Support

The Ombuds office can help you talk through difficult decisions and consider available options. They can explain the process for filing formal complaints or appeals, provide a reality check from an impartial perspective, help you identify the appropriate University contact for your questions, and assist you in identifying constructive processes for addressing issues.

The ombudsman for students provides confidential, impartial assistance to students, staff, and faculty who are facing conflicts, disputes, or concerns. The ombuds’ role includes:

1. Conflict Resolution: The ombuds helps mediate and resolve issues between individuals or groups, such as student disputes with professors, peer conflicts, or workplace challenges.
2. Guidance: They offer advice on university policies, procedures, and resources, helping individuals navigate complex situations without taking sides.
3. Confidential Listening: The ombuds provides a safe, private space for individuals to discuss concerns or grievances without fear of retaliation.
4. Mediation: In cases of interpersonal disputes, the ombuds can act as a neutral third party to facilitate constructive conversations aimed at resolution.
5. Options Exploration: They help individuals explore their options for addressing conflicts, including informal solutions or formal university procedures.
6. Policy Feedback: They can identify patterns in conflicts or concerns and provide feedback to university leadership, helping to improve policies or practices.

Overall, the ombuds helps ensure fairness, reduce tension, and promote a positive campus environment. The Ombuds office does not replace or supersede university grievances, complaint or appeal procedures.

The Ombuds Office Can:

• Mediate Interpersonal Disputes: The ombuds helps navigate conflicts between university community members (professors, classmates, etc.). They can also help with issues like harassment, discrimination, bias, bullying, or disrespectful behavior.
• Navigate Bureaucratic Challenges: Ombuds understand that UVU as an institution can be difficult to navigate. They can help you navigate university bureaucracy and clarify policies and procedures. 
• Review Academic Concerns: The ombuds can help students with disputes over grades, the add/drop process, academic credit, and student-instructor misunderstandings about course requirements. 
• Ethical Dilemmas and Misconduct: The ombuds supports students through difficult decisions and misconduct issues, such as academic, financial, and research-related concerns. 
• Address Safety and Well-Being Concerns: Ombuds handle safety issues and can direct students to resources where they can receive additional support.

The Ombuds Office Cannot:

• Make Binding Decisions: The ombuds does not have the authority to make decisions or enforce solutions. They can only facilitate conversations and offer guidance. 
• Take Sides: They remain neutral and impartial, not advocating for any party involved in a conflict or issue. 
• Engage in Formal Investigations: Ombuds do not conduct formal investigations or gather evidence for legal or disciplinary processes. 
• Provide Legal Advice: They are not legal advisors and cannot give legal counsel or representation. 
• Act as a Formal Complaint Office: Ombuds do not take formal complaints or initiate official university actions; they only offer informal assistance. 
• Maintain Public Records: Conversations with an ombuds are typically off the record and confidential. They do not keep formal case files that could be used in legal or disciplinary proceedings. 
• Mandate Solutions: Ombuds cannot force any party to take specific actions or resolve disputes in a particular way.