By, Jaspreet Ghag

Every Ombuds Day, we hear the affectionate shorthand: the ombuds is the "office of options." It is meant kindly, but I want to suggest, gently, that it sells us short. Worse, it sells short the people who walk through our doors.

An office of options sounds passive. It sounds like a menu. The reality I have seen — in workplaces, in institutions, in communities — is that people do not arrive at the ombuds looking for a menu. They arrive because something in the system has made them feel small, unheard, or unsafe, and they need a place where dignity is the default setting. That is not an options desk. That is governance hardware: load-bearing infrastructure for psychological safety.

By Nick Jacobs, FACHE & Marianne Miele, JD, MBA,

The IOA lists the many benefits of an organizational ombuds. Among them is that an ombuds office is a proven and effective way to build and improve workplace culture, and to uncover and address systemic trends and issues to create healthier organizations. 

Although neither of us are ombuds, our research and experience confirm an ombuds office brings value to strategic planning and culture change efforts. It conveys to employees that their concerns matter. It directly impacts aligning culture with an organization’s mission, values, and corporate social responsibility goals.

From Ellen Miller, Executive Director, and Advocacy Committee Co-Chairs Sarah Klaper and Mark Patterson 

More good news for higher ed ombuds based in the U.S. 

IOA was proud to sponsor the Clery Center’s 2023 September Summit, where we had the opportunity to introduce Jim Moore from the U.S. Department of Education and do a speed presentation on the role of ombuds prior to his session. Sarah Klaper “pulled back the curtain” to explain how ombuds handle Title IX and Clery issues, while Ellen Miller covered the basics of what OOs do and don’t do. Here is a link to the short slide deck we prepared.  

UPDATE: September 2022

IOA Lobbying Update - Title IX Comments and Upcoming Congressional Meetings

IOA filed comments with the US Department of Education on their proposed amendments to Title IX this week. Phase 2 of our advocacy efforts to advance Organizational Ombuds will begin next week when we start meeting with US federal lawmakers. IOA retained a D.C. lobbying firm to help inform our strategy. Our goal is to educate key members of the US House and Senate about Organizational Ombuds generally, the role you play in the campus security landscape, and why confidentiality is critical to your work.

Stay tuned for a briefing post-lobbying. Want to get involved in IOA’s Advocacy Committee?