Jacqueline Torres
Have you ever had a dispute with a teacher over a grade?
Have you ever needed an advocate to help you resolve an issue with an instructor?
What you may not know is that there are people on campus whose job it is to help you in such situations. They are called ombudspersons.
These ombudspersons are appointed by the Pierce Academic Senate to serve as an objective party.
“[They] help to resolve issues between students and the institution,” said Ed Mazeika one of three ombudspersons at Pierce.
“I think it’s a really good thing to have,” said Sam Faramarzi, 18, a first-time student at Pierce.
The idea of the ombudsperson originated in Sweden in 1809 when its legislature created a riksdagens justitieombudsman, or parliamentary agent of justice. This was a public official appointed to deal with individual complaints against government acts.
The idea was adopted by a number of countries in the 20th century. An ombudsperson is independent, impartial, universally accessible and empowered only to recommend.
When asked at random, several Pierce students said they had no idea that something like an ombudsperson existed.
One even guessed, “Isn’t that a statue?”
“Shouldn’t this information be given to us?” said Julia Gruppino, 19, a third-semester student. “There are many days when I think it’d be great to have someone to go to. There could be flyers or info at the Counseling Center.”
Dustin Rehmann, 30, a full-time marketing major said the information about the ombudspersons should be included in the schedule of classes.
One of the ombudspersons at Pierce is Jeffery Cohen, who started as a counselor at Pierce 27 years ago and has been teaching psychology for the last 14. He has been serving as an ombudsperson for four years. On average he sees one to two students a semester in that capacity. He is also a licensed psychotherapist.
“This is an informal way to resolve issues without wasting time and energy,” Cohen said
“It gives students a place to lodge a complaint. We don’t make judgments. We are there to gather all the information, take statements from the parties involved and ask whether the student needs an advocate,” explained Blanca Adajian, a journalism instructor and the third ombudsperson at Pierce.
Adajian has been an ombudsperson for two semesters and has not yet been called to serve.
Mazeika sees being an ombudsperson as an opportunity to take a perspective of objectivity in resolving issues. He is currently serving in two cases and said the most common issues are grade disputes and graduation issues.
The recommended process for students who have an issue with a faculty member is to first speak to that person. If the resolution is not adequate or not addressed, the student should then contact the chair of the department followed by the dean of Academic Affairs. At that point a faculty member or the student contacts an ombudsperson. Though it is documented, it is an informal process.
Most issues are resolved or dropped before they get to an ombudsperson. For students who want to continue, a formal grievance is filed. An ombudsperson can help students file a grievance and give advice on how to handle their particular issue.
Students can initiate the grievance process by contacting the Office of College Compliance in Faculty Office 2408.