The first step involves Berkeley's Ombuds Committee, a group of five faculty members, designed to hear complaints and help identify options for resolution with all parties involved in the disagreement. Complaints are heard in a confidential and informal manner. I'm not a witness or an arbitrator in disputes. I'm an impartial listener, someone who is familiar with the campus and can help obtain information about university policies and procedures governing academic advancement. Oldham believes that the academic environment affords faculty the greatest latitude in settling their differences with higher-ups, whether they be department heads, deans or vice chancellors.
Academics are bright, articulate, reasonable people, first of all.
They're also good people and interested in doing the right thing in resolving the conflicts they might be facing. Often the proposed solutions are modest and the individual goes off and takes that action to solve the problem. The ombuds is really the catalyst for removing the emotional elements of a conflict and clearing the log jam blocking resolution. The number of cases handled by the Faculty Ombuds Office varies each year, but is relatively low and has dropped in recent years. By contrast, the Staff Ombuds Office handles about 300-350 new complaints a year, primarily because it serves a larger pool of employees.