October 08, 2020

Working Group Recommends Two Full-Time Ombuds for Duke

This summer at Duke University, a Hate and Bias Working Group developed concrete response protocols to address a history of incidents on campus. A report from the working group was just released and includes a recommendation for two full-time Student Ombuds and one or two staff persons, practicing to IOA standards. 

Currently, Duke several Ombuds who serve part time: Student Ombuds, Ada Gregory; Ombuds for School of Medicine Students and Postdoctoral Appointees, Jean Spaulding; Faculty Ombuds, Thomas Metzloff; and Ombuds for School of Medicine Faculty Members, Laura Svetkey.

The Duke Working Group said:
We believe that the student ombudsperson should be a full-time position with an assistant ombudsperson and an office coordinator to effectively work with students, provide reports on trends of bias and harassment occurring on Duke’s campus, and market the services of the office.
We want to highlight that peer institutions—including Harvard, University of Pennsylvania, Princeton, Stanford, Brown, Columbia, Cornell, MIT, Georgetown, University of Chicago, and Northwestern, to name a few—have official Ombuds offices, many of which cover the needs of all members of the university community. Duke University has a unique opportunity to reform and improve upon the ways it supports students and their growing needs and it is more crucial now than ever to make necessary changes.

Related posts: Duke Elects New Faculty Ombuds; Duke Reappoints Faculty OmbudsDuke Considers Moving Ombuds Office to IOA StandardsNew Ombuds at Duke University to Practice to IOA Standards.

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