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Faculty & Staff

School of Social Work Ombud Office

When should i contact the ombud?

The mission of the School of Social Work Ombudsman is to assist in the protection of the rights and interests of individual members of the student body, the faculty and the staff against arbitrary or capricious action, lack of appropriate action by the SSW, the student body, the faculty, or the staff, or to assist in the resolution of complaints between individual members of the community or individuals and offices within the SSW Community.

Meet our current ombud: William (Bill) Vesneski

The Ombudsman is a tenured member of the faculty elected by staff, the student body, and faculty to a term of office beginning in the fall quarter after election in the spring and serving for two academic years.  While in office the Ombudsman does not serve in an Administrative post within the SSW (e.g. Associate Dean, Director of MSW Program).

Any SSW student, staff member, or faculty member of any rank may approach the Ombudsman with a complaint regarding possible infringement of rights or interests, lack of appropriate action by others, or a complaint naming another member of the SSW Community.

The Ombudsman accepts academic and non-academic complaints. Academic concerns include, but are not limited to, instructional methods, classroom interaction patterns, and grading procedures. Non-academic concerns include, but are not limited to, perceptions of discrimination and unfair treatment.

The work of the Ombudsman is confidential and lies outside of other formal grievances procedures. The Ombudsman role is that of mediator, not advocate.  The Ombudsman is not a fact-finder and has no binding authority to make decisions on grievances. Complaints which have the appearance of involving violations of the law (e.g. sexual harassment) will not be accepted by the Ombudsman.

Accessible Accordion

The following guidelines direct the work of the Ombudsman:

 

  1. The Ombudsman shall operate independently with responsibility to the problem solving process and not on behalf of individuals or offices within the SSW.
  2. At the request of the complaining party, the Ombudsman may approach the other party or parties, but cannot compel them to participate.  If mediation is not feasible, the Ombudsman will still work with the complaining party.
  3. All activity of the Ombudsman is confidential and private. 
  4. No records or notes of the process shall be maintained after the term of office of the Ombudsman who has created them. 
  5. The Ombudsman is impartial, does not advocate for one person or the other, and seeks a resolution of the complaint that is perceived as fair by both parties.
  6. The Ombudsman has no authority to influence formal grievance procedures, nor does the Ombudsman participate in such grievance procedures.
  7. The Ombudsman shall explain to parties other and more formal grievance procedures and complaint resolution processes within the SSW and University as part of every action taken while in office.
  8. If the Ombudsman believes that a conflict of interest or other threat to impartiality exists, this will be made known to the parties, and a referral to the University Ombudsman will be recommended.
  9. It is expected that a person elected to serve as Ombudsman will become familiar with SSW and University-related academic and non-academic rules, regulations, and procedures pertaining to complaint resolution and rights and responsibilities of members of the University Community.          
  10. The Ombudsman shall make a brief presentation about the role of the Ombudsman to each group (students, staff and faculty) within the SSW community in the Fall of each year.
  1. Ombudsman shall make recommendations to the Dean and/or Faculty Council about desired or necessary changes in University rules, regulations, and procedures, as appropriate and when such recommendations can be made without compromising complainant confidentiality.

The Ombudsman will assist the complainant in understanding relevant University and SSW rules, regulations, and procedures; present options for complaint resolution; and seek to resolve the difficulty as appropriate, including acting as a mediator. 

More generally, the Ombudsman will act as a source of information and assistance to all members of the SSW Community concerning University academic and non-academic rules, regulations, and procedures related to conflicts and grievances.

It is the intent of the Ombudsman role that conflicts be resolved informally within SSW, but that the procedural guidelines here do not preclude the choice of participants to consult with others (e.g. a Faculty Advisor, Practicum Director, Academic Program Directors or in the case of staff supervisors).  Further, the University’s Ombudsman or other relevant University resources outside the School may also be consulted at any point in the complaint resolution process.

The current ombud for the School of Social Work is William (Bill) Vesneski

University of Washington Ombud Office

Functions of the Student-Staff-Faculty Ombudsman, originally approved by faculty on June 6, 1969; Revised in June 2000 by Ad Hoc Committee without faculty vote; reviewed, revised again by faculty vote on December 12, 2000 and reviewed, revised, and approved by faculty vote on June 11, 2008.