Syracuse University’s Office of the Ombuds is planning to hire a permanent director by the end of the month, said Interim University Ombuds director, Samuel Clemence. The office was created earlier this year to facilitate faculty and graduate student complaints.

Clemence, a professor emeritus of civil and environmental engineering, was appointed to the position of interim ombudsperson in February. He was a professor in the College of Engineering and Computer Science for nearly 40 years and was interim dean of Hendricks Chapel from 2015 to 2017.

The Ombuds Office, located in Suite 215 of the Health Services building, is a resource that staff, faculty and graduate students can use to informally voice grievances and concerns about the school confidentially.

“We’re here to help people, provide them with guidance and counseling,” Clemence said. “We follow full principles. Anything you say in here is confidential.”

Clemence, who is a member of the search committee for his permanent replacement, said they were unable to find a suitable candidate by the end of last semester. The committee has selected candidates and plans to hire someone by the end of December, he added.

Since the office’s opening, it has received and worked on more than 60 cases, he added.

Jack Wilson, president of SU’s Graduate Student Organization, said many graduate students don’t know about the resource.

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“They aren’t using quite at the levels we want them to, but that’s probably because the office is new and there’s still a lot of work that needs to be done to let everyone know that this is a thing that exists on campus,” Wilson said.

Margaret Susan Thompson, a member of the University Senate and an associate professor of history and political science, said she expected a professional to permanently fill the position by the end of the spring 2018 semester.

“We were told this would be a short-term, interim thing and that by the beginning of classes this semester there would be a full-time person with training and experience,” Thompson said.

She added that there needs to be a director who is trained specifically for the position, considering the amount of complaints that have been reviewed.

“It’s going to be close to three years (without having a permanent official) after this office was approved,” Thompson said. “What this suggests, unfortunately, is that this isn’t a very high priority. Because when the university wants to hire somebody, they do it and they do it quickly.”

Hiring a permanent ombudsperson would bring attention to the office and provide an opportunity to strengthen the relationship between GSO and the office, Wilson said.

Clemence said the office needs to be more widely known.

“When the new person comes in, they can continue to do that and really give publicity to the office,” he said. “I’d love to see the caseload grow and help as many people as possible.”

Published on December 2, 2018 at 10:02 pm

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