How Can The Ombudsperson Help?

The Ombudsperson can assist in resolving difficult issues by offering a range of services to members of the Mount Holyoke community.

The Ombudsperson can:

  • Listen to your concerns without passing judgment; help you to clarify your thoughts, feelings, and goals; and assist you in creating strategies for resolving problems or conflicts, even if you are not planning to take action.
  • Answer your questions or Refer you to someone who can. The Ombudsperson also provide answers to questions you may have about College procedures, policies, and practices that affect students, faculty, and staff.
  • Identify and Analyze problems, and explore with you options for solving them.
  • Review Mount Holyoke's policies and procedures.
  • Provide Mediated Conversations and Facilitated discussions between individuals or groups.
  • Recommend changes in policies or procedures. Although the Ombudsperson has no direct authority to change College policy, the role of the Ombudsperson is to recommend change to the appropriate authority.
  • Educate members of the community about ways to manage conflict effectively, resolve disputes and help team build within the community