Staff Ombuds at KU Leuven Defends Role

Joseph Corveleyn, the Staff Ombudsman at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Flanders, Belgium, was interviewed last week by the campus's independent student newspaper. According to the article, witnesses say the KU Ombuds does not actually help staff with work problems. However, instead of presenting any evidence to support this assertion, the piece mostly provides Corvelyn an opportunity to explain his role and dispel misinformation. His best quote provides the article's headline: "The ombudsman is not the sheriff of the university." 


Corveleyn explained that he sees 60 to 70 people a year (from a staff population of about 12,000) and that most of their issues are resolved before a formal complaint.  Corveleyn also denied that he was under the influence of the administration, a common misconception.   (Veto.)