Students Get Their Own Ombudsperson
John Blackshear to serve as an impartial resource for students
Monday, September 10, 2007
Durham, NC -- Duke students who feel they have been treated unfairly or have a dispute with someone on campus or disagree with a university policy have a new person to turn to for guidance.
As Duke’s first student ombudsperson, John Blackshear, clinical director of the Academic Resource Center, will be an independent person for students to confidentially talk through differences with individuals or groups, said Ben Reese, vice president for the Office of Institutional Equity, who initiated the creation of the position. Concerns conceivably could range from an insensitive remark made by a fellow student to a conflict with an adviser.
Blackshear will not provide psychological counseling, offer legal advice, make policy or represent a student in a formal judicial proceeding or grievance hearing. He will not keep records of a student’s name, but he will report each quarter on the number of students who sought his counsel and the general reason why.
“Probably the most important role I’ll play is the empathetic ear,” said Blackshear, a clinical psychologist and former therapist at Duke’s Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) who has been at Duke for six years. “We may discuss ways a student might resolve or respond to any issue, whether it is harassment, or a minor or major conflict with other students, faculty or staff.”
The impetus for creating the job grew out of discussions with several campus groups, including the President’s Council on Black Affairs, the Graduate and Professional Student Council and Duke Student Government, said Reese, a former ombudsperson for the Rockefeller Foundation. It also grew out of the discussion held as part of the Campus Culture Initiative,
Reese said some students have reported feeling frustrated by responses from staff, faculty or fellow students and sought a place to process what was said with someone who is impartial and not a peer. Faculty members have a faculty ombudsman to turn to and employees have a range of services to use in conflicts.
“The group that didn’t have a neutral, impartial place to go to help resolve conflicts were students – both undergraduate and graduate,” Reese said. In addition to mediating disputes and making referrals to appropriate university officials or departments, he said the ombudsman can educate students about dealing with differing perspectives and finding successful approaches to conflict resolution.
Provost Peter Lange approved the part-time position, which will be reviewed after a year.
Crystal Brown, president of the Graduate and Professional Students Council (GPSC), said she could envision graduate or professional students turning to Blackshear for advice on raising sensitive issues such as personal political views with an adviser or professor.
“It’s a very pressured environment, grades are very important and an adviser pretty much steers your career here at Duke,” said Brown, a law student. “Even if you’re a professional student and don’t have an adviser, you might have some difficulty arise with a professor and want perspective on how to preserve the relationship.”
Paul Slattery, president of the Duke Student Government, said in theory the position is a good idea. “The extent to which it is successful will be the extent to which students believe the person is independent of the university,” Slattery said.
Blackshear was selected because of his professional experience of working with students, and his commitment to independence and alternative dispute resolution strategies, Reese said. His specialty at Duke is working with students with learning disabilities.
“I’ve been somebody students would come to talk to about things that are important to them,” he said. “I’m used to handling sensitive information.”
Blackshear is meeting with student groups this fall to let them know about the new position and to get acquainted.
For more information, click here. Students can reach Blackshear by calling 673-3261 or e-mailing john.blackshear@duke.edu.
“John’s an advocate for a fair process,” Reese said. “It doesn’t supplant other options provided to students – both academic and psychological. It just provides an additional service.”
