Mediation

As needed, the Ombuds Office does informal mediation between two or more parties. Informal mediation is confidential and informal which differs from other formal processes which could impact the confidentiality of the individual/group’s process. Another key significance of informal mediation is its voluntary nature; all parties need to voluntarily agree to engage in this process.

This process is to help the parties better understand each other’s viewpoints, develop options, and articulate some informal agreed-upon guidelines regarding how best to move forward. Before any mediation, all parties agree not to share what is said within the mediation outside of the process; at the conclusion, the parties can make decisions on what to share. As the mediator, the Ombuds focuses on facilitating communication and assisting in identifying satisfactory outcomes for all parties; we remain impartial and do not adjudicate, advocate, or determine the outcome of the mediation.