Ethical Principals
Four key principles guide our exercise of integrity and ethical behavior: independence, neutrality, confidentiality, and informality. The Ombuds fosters respect for all members of the university community and promotes fairness in the content and administration of the university practices, processes, and policies.
The Ombuds is independent in function, and appearance to the highest degree possible within the university.
The Ombuds is a designated neutral party. The Ombuds avoids any situation which would create a conflict of interest.
The Ombuds holds all communications with those seeking assistance in strict confidence and does not disclose confidential communications unless given express permission to do so. The only exceptions to this privilege of confidentiality are (1) when there appears to be an imminent risk of serious harm to another person, including a child or protected adult; or (2) when an office staff member observes a crime.
The Ombuds is an informal resource and does not participate in any formal adjudicative or administrative procedure regarding the concerns brought to his or her attention.
For more information, please visit http://www.ombudsassociation.org/standards/Code_Ethics_1-07.pdf