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Steven Noble
Editor, Internal Publications
p. 403.440.5692
e-mail: snoble@mtroyal.ca

Fred Cheney
Media Relations Officer
p. 403.440.5195
e-mail: fcheney@mtroyal.ca

 

The new year doesn’t always bring a fresh start.

After the holidays, some of you may be returning to campus feeling sad, depressed or stressed out because of an on-going work- or school-related problem.

But Mount Royal University Ombudsperson Judy Collins says there are concrete steps you can resolve to take in addressing those problems.

The ombudsperson, Judy Collins is a great resource for those dealing with work-related stress and anxiety here on campus.

She encourages faculty, staff and students to seek out resources on campus that can help — resources such as the Office of the Ombudsperson.

“My role as Ombudsperson is to assist in establishing a trusting environment at Mount Royal,” Collins says.

“I help create alternate forms of dispute resolution, and I support faculty and students in working to improve their interactions.”

“Most of what I do is to help people connect the dots, so that the right people get connected to the right person or resource.”

The Office of the Ombudsperson is available to all faculty, staff and students.

Located in Y320G, it offers confidential and independent advice and support in resolving a problem, concern or conflict.

If the problem involves a person who feels they are not being treated fairly, the Ombudsperson can make recommendations to administration on ways to revise Mount Royal policies.

“I’m not a student advocate — and I’m not a faculty advocate, either,” Collins says.

“I’m an advocate for fair process and policy at Mount Royal.”

She is also passionate about helping to mediate in difficult work or school relationships.

“I am here to listen, and to act as a resource if a relationship is beginning to get off-track,” she says.

“I help bring it back to where people on both sides are able to hear each other and come up with effective ways to resolve the problem.”

In fact, unlike at other institutions such as government or the media, Mount Royal’s Office of the Ombudsperson is intended as a first resort rather than a last resort. It provides a safe place to talk over concerns and situations before they get to a crisis level.

“I’ve had faculty come just to talk about something that’s needling at them,” Collins says.

“In some situations, they don’t want to talk to a colleague or their chair, so this is a place to help sort what’s happening.”

Collins can often provide insights into situations because she has been at Mount Royal for 26 years.

“I think it’s helpful to my role as Ombudsperson that I understand the institution and the stressors and the strains and the processes,” she says.

“I’ve watched Mount Royal grow and change so I can talk to people about organizational culture and why shifts in that culture might be difficult for them.”

The Office of the Ombudsperson (Y320G) is open Monday through Wed. from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. You can drop in during office hours, or you can contact Collins at 6076 to set up an appointment.

— Nancy Cope, Jan. 14, 2010