College problems. Everyone has their own charming experience. There's the roommate that won’t take the trash out with them on their way to class despite how many times you yell in their general direction. Maybe you have a professor who doesn’t seem to be grading according to the rubric… that they set up. Or you live with a roommate that won’t stop yelling at you when you leave the house for some reason.
Although these might seem like easy fixes, approaching these types of interactions often feels too daunting or ambiguous. Must collegiate scholars around the globe suffer so vainly at the hands of such tedious conflicts? The University of Minnesota Student Ombuds Services (SOS) exists on campus to address this very concern. Now naturally, any inquisitive and well-intentioned individual will ask themselves one awfully important question after hearing this good news: what does ombuds even mean?
Ombuds Origins
This is indeed a good question, perhaps even great. The term comes from the Nordic word “ombudsman,” meaning representative, and ombuds, meaning proxy or attorney (in context, someone authorized to act on someone else’s behalf). The University of Minnesota’s SOS does not advocate on someone else’s behalf, but instead offers a non-biased, impartial third party source for students to talk through their university-related problems and helps them form a concrete plan of action.
SOS is completely confidential, and no student should ever worry about their private information being shared with anyone else. Note: The only exception is if a student indicates they have a plan to hurt themselves or someone else, in which case SOS will break confidentiality to take steps to ensure the student’s and/or others’ safety. So, to answer the question more directly: ombuds is an umbrella term for all the conflict management resources that can be found under ombuds services.
What They Do
Many of the conflicts that SOS helps with are academic disputes where there’s no clear action on how to solve or approach a given problem. This description is intentionally vague so that it can be applied to many students’ various situations. But, for a bit more clarification, here is a list of the official concerns that SOS addresses:
- Grading and instruction
- Petitions and appeals
- Graduate and professional student issues
- Billing and financial aid
- Group projects
- Any other campus-based concern
As well as the services they provide:
- Consultation and coaching
- Identifying options and resources
- Research & interpret policies/procedures
- Contacting other parties
- Facilitated conversations
- Mediation
Example Scenarios
Student scenario 1:
“I missed class because of an illness and now my teacher won’t let me retake my exam.”
Next steps:
- The student schedules an appointment first, by phone, email, or their online contact form.
- The student meets with ombuds staff and looks over the class syllabus together. The ombudsperson finds a policy that says students are allowed a make-up test day if they’re sick. In this case, the ombuds staff’s goal in finding this information, and other insights like it, is only to show all possible courses of action the student could take if they so chose, not to make their decisions for them.
- The student decides to use this new-found syllabus information to advocate for themselves to their instructor, or, if preferred, they could have the ombuds staff email their teacher on their behalf.
This is just one option ombuds may provide, and no matter if that syllabus loophole is found, the ombuds staff would still offer many other alternative game plans for the student to consider. The ombuds staff might inform them of other relevant campus resources, suggest mediation services, or bring up anything that the specific situation might require.
Student scenario 2:
“I know one of my classmates is using AI to cheat, and I’m worried that the test curves will be unfairly skewed.”
Next steps:
- The student still has to set up an appointment prior to meeting with SOS.
- Similar to the previous case, this student will also be presented with many options during their meeting. This time, the ombudsperson works alongside the student to come up with a pragmatic plan on how to approach the student or teacher.
- Once again, the student can choose to use this information at their own discretion, opting to follow the plan completely, partially, or do something else entirely.
- And you guessed it, in addition to this, the ombuds staff would still present a variety of other routes and solutions for the student to take into consideration.
After either of these scenarios, the respective students might feel aptly equipped to handle their situation entirely, but if needed or wanted, they’re always welcome to visit SOS again to continue learning about potential solutions.
It’s definitely worth noting that ombuds can cover so many kinds of conflicts that emerge on campus beyond classroom-based concerns. Even if you feel like your conflict isn’t “big” enough, it’s still a great idea to utilize their services. And not to worry, if they can’t offer their services directly, they’ll guide you to where you need to be in order to stay successful. Moreover, going to ombuds before your dilemma gets out of control is the best way to approach the service. If the conflict hasn’t blown up your entire life yet, it’s a great time to talk with ombuds (of course, if the conflict has blown up your entire life, going to ombuds is still a good choice).
Why go to SOS?
The key to SOS is not that it gives you a catch-all for solving every problem you face, but rather that it gives an outlet to talk through your university-based problems with someone who wants to listen and wants to help you. When I asked SOS Ombudsperson Markku Makinen about her favorite part of the role, she reflected on the tangible positive outcomes she has helped facilitate. She said, “Students can feel powerless while navigating large institutions with complex policies and processes, so it’s rewarding to talk through situations and equip visitors with the tools they need to feel empowered to move forward.” SOS leaves the agency in your hands, simply hoping they have given you the safe space needed to reflect while also providing you with the crucial information for making your own forthcoming decisions.
SOS is here for anyone and everyone who needs it. If you would like to make an appointment, please reach out through any of these means:
- Phone: (612) 624-7272
- E-mail: [email protected]
- In Person: 254 Appleby Hall, 128 Pleasant St. SE (East Bank). Check the website for normal hours and in-person/zoom drop-in times.
- Online: Fill out the contact form.
Your stress and your problems are valid. We all know that often something as seemingly unimportant as overpiled garbage really is that big of a deal. If you don’t know where or how to start solving a problem, a good first step is contacting Student Ombuds Services.