University of Twente Plans New Ombuds Program

The public research university located in Enschede, Netherlands (Universiteit Twente) is working on introducing its first Ombudsperson. The announcement was made by at a meeting organized by the Female Faculty Network Twente. According to the independent UT campus newspaper:

To offer better support for possible victims of inappropriate behavior at the workplace, the UT is working on introducing an ombudsperson. ‘We will search for one ombudsperson for staff members and students,’ informed Nicole Torka. ‘The ombudsperson will be based at the university, but work completely independently. He or she will not fall under any department and only report to the Executive Board.’

Unlike confidential advisors, who can only listen and offer examples of solutions to the victims, the ombudsperson will be able to conduct research into the issue and take action. He or she could, for example, look through emails and talk to other people to gather information. According to Torka, the UT aims to hire someone for this position within a few months.

Further details are still pending and may be provided a new UT website on integrity and an ‘active bystander training’ planned for January 2019. (U-Today.)