Frequently Asked Questions

Our Charles River Campus Office is located at 930 Commonwealth Avenue, at the corner of Pleasant Street. The most direct entrance to our office is on Pleasant Street.  Click here for a map.

BU Ombuds Office Mailing address:

930 Commonwealth Avenue
Boston MA 02215
(617) 358-5960

Find out more about making an appointment or parking at this location by visiting the Contact Us page.

“Ombuds’ is the shortened, generally Americanized form of the term Ombudsman.”  At Boston University, the term “Ombuds” refers to the professional staff in the Office of the Ombuds who serve Boston University.

In North America and Europe, the role has evolved, especially in recent years, into many different forms, with different missions and practice standards. Most Ombuds who work in US-based academic settings are “Organizational Ombuds” and work to address concerns and problems of their constituencies using informal means. Many organizationational Ombuds, including the Boston University Ombuds, practice according the International Ombudsman Association Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice.

The Ombuds can:

• Provide coaching for difficult conversations
• Facilitate group discussions
• Mediate a dispute or facilitate communication among people in conflict.
• Refer you to the appropriate office should you wish to file a formal complaint.
• Recommend changes to policies/procedures that may be problematic.
• When possible to do so without breaching confidentiality, identify to university leadership: trends or patterns of concerns;  issue sthat may pose a risk; and problems that might be systemic.
• Provide other forms of assistance to help you resolve a problem informally.
• Conduct customized professional development workshops on managing conflict, difficult conversations, and related skills.

The Ombuds cannot:

• Make or change University decisions, rules, or policies.
• Set aside a decision or supersede the authority of another University official.
• Duplicate an existing grievance procedure.
• Provide legal advice or be a substitute for union representation.
• Testify in ormal grievance or legal proceeding.
• Conduct formal investigations.
• Accept notice of claims against the University. (The Ombuds is not authorized to receive notice of claims against the University, but the Ombuds can help you identify the formal channels you can use for this purpose.)

Any kind of University-related problem may be brought to the Office of the Ombuds by any member of the BU community.  You might want to contact the Ombuds when:

• You would like coaching on having a diffiuclt conversation or giving feedback
• You need an impartial and confidential sounding board.
• You think you have been treated unfairly.
• You would like to understand a process or possible outcomes before reporting a problem to the appropriate  person or office.
• You want to discuss a University policy or practice that you think is unfair or problematic.
• You believe procedural errors were made in a formal grievance
• You have questions about how to interpret a University policy or procedure.
• You are not sure which University policy applies to your situation.
• You need a mediator or a facilitator.
• You are not sure where else to turn for help and need guidance.

You may email or call us at any time to make an appointment (Contact Us). Initial appointments are usually an hour, but we can adjust according to your availability, and we will do our best to accommodate your schedule.  You do not have to tell us your name or any identifiable information, however, you may want to leave a call-back number so we can confirm your appointment time.  Services of the BU Office of the Ombuds are available to the entire BU Community free of charge.

• Help with having a difficult conversation.
• Clarification of a policy or process.
• Concerns about inequities in work or pay.
• Concerns about unethical or inappropriate behavior.
• Concerns about health and life safety.
• Interpersonal conflicts, office politics, and problems with workplace climate.
• Concerns about career advancement and job satisfaction or security.
• Problems with institutional non-responsiveness and red-tape.
• Concerns about procedural fairness..
• Requests for structured mediation and facilitated conversations.
• The Ombuds is not authorized to receive notice of claims against the University, but the Ombuds can help you identify the formal channels you can use for this purpose.

Yes.  While the Ombuds is not authorized to receive formal complaints, the Ombuds can help you understand processes and discuss possible outcomes before you decide whether to file a complaint.  The Ombuds can also help identify alternatives to formal grievance procedures and direct you to the appropriate procedures and office should you wish to file a formal complaint.

The Ombuds is situated outside of the management structure at BU and reports directly to the President of Boston University for administrative and budgetary purposes. The Ombuds Office can function independently and impartially in part because it is not connected to any other office.  The Ombuds Office also provides a very strict promise of confidentiality which allows you to have off-the-record conversations about highly sensitive concerns.

The Office of the University Ombuds and the Faculty & Staff Assistance Office share some important features, including a practice of confidentiality, and staff experienced in assisting with highly sensitive concerns, troubled relationships, communication breakdowns, and organizational problems.

The Office of the University Ombuds is staffed by organizational ombuds with extensive experience in conflict management and alternative dispute resolution. The Ombuds can help you evaluate just about any kind of concern you may have regarding life, work, or school at BU.  The Ombuds Office reports to the President of the University for administrative and budgetary purposes, which helps ensure its independence and impartiality.   Finally, the mission of the Ombuds Office includes communicating trends and patterns of problems to senior officials at Boston University so that systemic problems can be identified and addressed.

The Faculty & Staff Assistance Office is an employee assistance program available to all faculty, staff as well as their household family members families. The Faculty & Staff Assistance Office is staffed by licensed behavioral health providers, licensed social workers and psychologists.  They provide confidential consultation and counseling for both personal or work-related problems and can make appropriate referrals to community resources.

No, the BU Ombuds is independent and neutral and does not take sides on behalf or any individuals or cause. Thus,, the Ombuds is not a substitute for an advocate, lawyer, representative, or counselor. Working with the Ombuds may help you address your problems or concerns effectively, but contacting the Ombuds Office does not constitute giving notice to the University of any claims you might have. You may wish to consult with a lawyer or other appropriate resources to obtain guidance on whether any legal rights may be involved and when or how to notify the University of a claim.

Yes. Confidentiality is essential to the functioning of the Boston University Ombuds Office. Communications with the Ombuds are made with the understanding that they are confidential and that the Ombuds will not testify with respect to confidential communications or participate in formal, grievance, or other legal proceedings. Consistent with the International Ombudsman Association Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice, the Ombuds Office also functions with the understanding that these communications are privileged, with the privilege held by the Office of the Ombuds, not visitor to the office. The only exceptions to this confidentiality are when, during the course of your communications with the Ombuds, you give permission to the Ombuds to make disclosure and the Ombuds agrees to do so, or when the Ombuds determines that there is an imminent risk of serious harm.