Stanford Paper Wants Ombuds to Monitor Student Activities Board

An editorial in the Stanford Review laments the demise of the Office of Student Activities, the department charged with regulating parties, student groups and their events. The Review suggests a number of changes, including having the University's ombuds become responsible for fielding appeals and complaints from students about the office. (Stanford Review.)

Job Posting: Kaiser Permanente

The health care giant is seeking another ombuds/mediator for its Oakland facility. The position is responsible for manage patient disputes, so applicants should have a health care. No closing date or salary indicated. (Kaiser Careers, Job ID: OA.0700511.)

(Prior Kaiser job posts.)

Ghana Press Supports Reform of UN Ombuds

The Statesman, Ghana's oldest mainstream newspaper, provides a analysis and endorsement of the UN's plan to redesign its judicial process, including the structure of the ombuds office:

The Office of the Ombudsman should be strengthened and decentralized with a merger of the existing Offices of Ombudsmen in the Secretariat and funds and programmes. [¶] The Office should have professional mediators and should take on a stronger monitoring role regarding institutional management.

* * *

The Secretary-General should appoint the United Nations Ombudsman; the Ombudsman for funds and programmes will be appointed by the executive heads of those bodies. [¶] A selection committee, composed of a staff representative, a management representative and two distinguished outside Ombudsmen, one appointed by the staff and one by management, and chaired by a third distinguished Ombudsman appointed jointly by the Secretary-General and the executive heads of the funds and programmes, should submit a list of not fewer than three names for each position of Ombudsman, taking into consideration the nature and the characteristics of these institutions.

The Office of the Ombudsman should be strengthened by combining the functions of formal mediation with proactive monitoring of maladministration. [¶] A Mediation Division should be established within the Office of the Ombudsman.

(TheStatesmanOnline.)

Avoiding Costly Litigation

Justin Patten is an English mediator and attorney, who writes an excellent blog about law and technology. Today, he offers five ways for an organization to avoid litigation -- ways that are entirely consistent with the advice ombuds often provide:

1. Think carefully about the type of people that you do business with
2. Be the kind of organization which does not create disputes
3. Seek to communicate effectively and consistently
4. Have management trained to face up to the dispute
5. Have plain English and not too onerous legal terms

(Human Law Mediation.)

Training Myths Exposed

Although ombuds are often called upon to provide training (especially in the area of conflict management), we do not necessarily have the skills to be effective. It is easy, therefore, to repeat some common mistakes. Fortunately, a recent article from the Society of Human Resource management debunks five common training truisms:

• Learning is better with visuals than without visuals
• It’s best to explain a visual with audio narration and text
• Visuals and stories added for interest improve learning
• It’s better to compress learning in one full day rather than schedule shorter sessions over several days
• Overall, learning is better in a face-to-face classroom than in e-learning

(SHRM Online.)

Interview with First Ombuds at UMass

In 1976, the University of Massachusetts interviewed alumni, former faculty and administrators, and their spouses. Transcripts of some are now available on line, including Ellsworth Barnard, who describes his work as University Ombudsman, ca. 1969-70. (UMass Oral Histories.)

Yolo County Ombuds Arrested for Plotting Overthrow of Laotian Government

The ombudsman for Yolo County has been charged, along with eight others, with plotting a violent overthrow of Laos' communist government. Harrison Jack, who has been Yolo's ombuds since March of this year, was accused of acting as an arms broker and organizer. Prosecutors said that the conspirators hoped to recruit a mercenary force and buy enough weapons to equip a small army. (Mercury News; Los Angeles Times.)

A Yolo County spokesperson said officials were shocked to hear that their new ombuds had been indicted. "We're completely dumbfounded," spokesperson Beth Gabor said. "We did a background check, but obviously it wouldn't show an ongoing investigation."

(Related post Yolo County Hires Ombuds.)