Student's Lawsuit Against Cornell and Its University Ombuds Lives On

A former Cornell veterinary student, Patricia Curto, sued the school alleging she was wrongfully dismissed in 1998. Several administrators, including assistant university ombudsperson Danilee Popensiek, are named as individual defendants. On Curto's appeal of dismissal, the Federal Appellate Court in New York returned the case to the trial court for further hearing. The student is a tenacious litigant: her suit has been appealed several times, and she is pursuing a related action in NY state court. Popensiek is still a member of the Cornell Office of the University Ombudsman, and is being represented in the action by Cornell's General Counsel. [Ed. note: None of the Cornell ombuds are members of IOA.]

Pomona College Committees Endorse Ombuds Position

After meeting with almost half of the housekeeping staff, students on the Workers Support Committee recommended that the college hire an ombuds. This echoed an earlier report from the President’s Advisory Committee on Diversity (link).

End of Semester Advice for Students

Northern Illinois University Ombuds, April Morgan, offers the following timely tips for students (link):

• Simplify your life (adjust exam schedules if necessary, but don't skip classes and miss critical announcements late in the term);
• Utilize campus resources (consider a tutor)
• Consult your academic adviser;
• Chill and consider counseling to managing your stress;
• Evaluate instructors; and
  
• Save everything and secure it before you leave campus.

Advice for Visitors Having a Personal Crisis

Real Simple magazine has three tips for people going through a crisis:

• Leave a message on your phone;
• Designate a point person to disseminate information; and
• Send out an e-mail to friends.

Advice for Visitors Facing a Performance Review

Personal-finance blog Binary Dollar offers some good tips on impressing bosses when its time for a review:

Use numbers. Tell them you fixed 30 defects. Say that you saved the company approximately $30,000 dollars. Using numbers will give them the impression that you pay attention to detail. Plus, it will make it easier for your manager to double-check your facts. Managers like it when you make things easier for them.

Job Posting: United Nations

The UN Development Program ombuds office is seeking a case manager for a one-year contract. Bilingual required, no salary info.

Job Posting: Kaiser Permanente, Santa Rosa

KP is seeking a healthcare ombuds/mediator, preferrably with a healthcare background to manage patient disputes. (KP has an extensive network of HCOM's throughout the western US. This ad runs frequently.) No indication of salary.