The Ombuds Blog: Seneca College Ombuds Posts Annual Report and New Terms of Reference

July 31, 2013

Seneca College Ombuds Posts Annual Report and New Terms of Reference

George Fry, the Ombudsperson for the applied arts and technology college in Toronto, reports that significant fluctuation in the demand for Ombuds service over the past three years. Cases rose from 45 in 2009-10 to 114 in 2011 (when there was a transition to calendar year reporting), and then fell to 66 in 2012. Fry attributes the variation in part to changes in the Ombuds Office, including his appointment in 2011.

In addition to a summary of cases, Fry also said that Seneca has adopted Terms of Reference for the Ombuds Office based on the ACCUO Standards of Practice document. The annual report and terms of reference are both available online. (Seneca Ombuds.)

Related post: Former Ombuds to Head Seneca College; Seneca College Appoints New Ombuds; Association of Canadian College and University Ombudspersons Publishes Standards of Practice.

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Organizational Ombuds

Organizational Ombuds serve as a confidential, independent, neutral and informal dispute resolution resource for a specific entity. They are accessible to a defined population and can advocate for fairness. These unique characteristics distinguish Organizational Ombuds from Classical Ombuds, mediators, arbitrators, and other alternative dispute resolution professionals. The term "Ombuds" is shorthand for "Ombudsman," "Ombudsperson" and "Ombuds Officer," which also are used widely.

Some other variants include:

Austria -- Ombudsstelle

Brazil -- Ouvidor

Croatia -- pravobranitelji

France -- médiateur/defénseur

Germany -- Ombudspersonen

Italy -- difensore

Netherlands -- ombudspersoon

Norway -- ombudet

Poland -- Rzecznik

Portugal -- provedor

Russia -- омбудсмен

Spain -- ombudsman organizacional

Sweden -- studentombud

Switzerland -- ombudsmann

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July 31, 2013

Seneca College Ombuds Posts Annual Report and New Terms of Reference

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