IOA White Paper Summarizes U.S. Legal Context for Ombuds Confidentiality

The International Ombuds Association published a a new resource to assist program designers to better understand U.S. case law, statutory, and other established guidance relating to Ombuds confidentiality. "An Overview of Ombuds Confidentiality" summarizes the legal bases for confidentiality with ample references and examples. The paper outlines why a properly structured office is an essential component to creating an implied contract between Ombuds and visitors to further support the voluntary nature of the work. This paper resource will be shared at a session IOA has planned for the National Association of College of University Attorneys (NACUA)'s annual meeting later this month.

The legal research for the paper was compiled by was Maureen Kemigisha Walakira, graduate student at Pepperdine University, under the direction of Bruce MacAllister, who coordinated the initiative to develop this resource. IOA's Executive Director, Ellen Miller, also thanked Sarah Klaper (Northwestern University) and Chinyere Ukabiala (Grinnell College) for their work on this program, and Jessica Kuchta-Miller (Duke University) and Steven Prevaux (University of South Florida) for their presentation to NACUA. (IOA Blog; Overview of Ombuds Confidentiality.)

Related posts: U.S. Department of Education Rejects IOA's Clery Act Arguments; 11 Stories that Shaped the Ombuds Profession in the 2010's (American Universities Never Develop a Consistent Standard for Ombuds' Confidentiality); Journal of IOA Explores Issues of Confidentiality; Chuck Howard Dissects Controversy Over Ombuds Confidentiality at University of Mississippi; IOA Updates Standards of Practice; Ombuds to Present to National Association of College and University Attorneys.