Institutional Climate Committee
Meeting Minutes
September 24, 2015
Attendance: T. Bernstein-Danis; N. Blichar; M. Borst; J.Cohen, chair; Jackie Fox, Esq.; S. Gaisey; E.
Hanna; G. Hill; A. Pfiler-Wunder; J. Schearer; M. Stevens-Carr; C.Weiler; T. Wong
Call to Order 11:00 a.m.
Move to Approve Minutes: Hill/Gaisey, approve with spelling correction. Carries.
Announcements
Welcome new members, Tony Wong, Mathematics (LAS), Ed Hanna (Senate), N. Blichar (undergraduate
student).
Old Business
Please visit the ICC’s webpage, now active with links to mission & by-laws, membership, agendas and
minutes.
Dr. Wong (LAS), will consult regarding creating an interactive flow chart of assistance offices (e.g.,
student assistance coordinator, multicultural center; vets center; glbtq center; disabilities services), with
the aim for a central location to post and disseminate this information.
Planning for diversity dialogues - trust talks is on Google docs and D2L resources. ICC informal
agreement, by consensus, that facilitators should set schedule, work in pairs, be trained in basic human
relations training, be capable of communicating openness and sensitivity to concerns and opinions
related to race, privilege, class and gender, and have a high tolerance for conflict. Facilitators should not
have an agenda beyond the scope of facilitating group members’ freedom to voice concerns in an
atmosphere of empathy, acceptance, and respect. Involving counseling students who have a minimum
of fundamentals of counseling and group counseling was suggested.
New Business
Dr. Cohen facilitates discussion and will prepare response to President Hawkinson’s request for more
information on the history of the Ombudsperson position and model programs, especially in PASSHE.
Discussion: The most recent past ombudsperson is Dr. Christine Nunez. Requests for information will be
made. Preceding Dr. Nunez were Zayaitz and Loomis. Release time for this ¼ time position was
discontinued in 2012.
The number of hours and nature of duties of the Ombudsperson position has not been documented in
writing. The ICC believes that some documentation can be done to demonstrate impact without
compromising the confidential nature of the relationship. Specific categories to track could be:
Position: Student, Staff, Faculty, Administration, Community; Mandate Evoked v. No Mandate; Time
spent on a “Case” and the resolution. In the past, the position seems to have largely involved supporting
students’ concerns related to perceived inequity in grading and in the classroom; violations of due
process, and experiences of harassment.
Some KU policies still refer to the ombudsperson, for instance, the grade appeal board policy identifies
the ombudsperson as an aid to students who want to file a grade appeal. The ombudsperson assisted
students to navigate and negotiate the bureaucratic process.
The ICC has consensus that the Ombudsperson should be a person who does not represent a particular
office, contract committee, or special interest group that could potentially compromise neutrality. The
Ombudsperson should be a culturally sensitive and respectful communicator who has a high capacity for
problem-solving and conflict resolution with individuals representing diverse ages, positions, cultures,
races, religions, sexual orientations and other population characteristics.
Rankin and Associates (2011) found that:
“The majority of employees indicated that the following would influence KU climate: Providing clear
and fair processes to resolve conflicts would positively affect the climate (84%, n = 431)”
”The majority of students felt the following would positively affect the climate: Providing a person to
address student complaints of classroom inequality (70%, n = 2,010)”
Results of the ICC focus group session at the 2015 Commission on Human Diversity Conference showed
a need for more open and honest communication between and among members of the KU community.
Attendees strongly agreed with the majority of climate survey respondents who want a person to go to
for answers to problems. Experiences of harassment reported by focus group participants were seen to
be caused by misperceptions, mistrust, misunderstanding, stereotyping, limited experience with
different cultures, power plays, rudeness, ostentatiousness, and culture shock.
Rankin (2011) showed that KU employees are significantly more mistrustful of colleagues and
administrators than are employees at other higher education institutions. Nearly 50% of employees felt
that they could not trust their colleagues! KU employees especially perceive significantly more covert
harassment, such as ignoring, excluding, and being left out, than do employees at other institutions.
The ICC recognizes that many KU employees fear that voicing their opinion may negatively impact
performance evaluations and promotion. Those with greater fear are statistically more likely to consider
leaving KU. Scholarly research on closed communication systems indicates that members in closed
systems feel alienated and tend to shut down, which fuels the system’s circular feedback loop of
closeness.
An ombudsperson would support marginalized employees to vocalize their opinions.
Rankin et al found that different groups within the campus community experience unique forms of
harassment. Harassment at KU is especially high for LGBTQ and disabled individuals. For administrators
and staff, harassment is associated with position. For faculty, harassment is mostly by colleagues. The
rates of covert harassment are especially high than is typical elsewhere (ignoring, excluding).
The ICC sees individuals festering and hesitant to speak for fear of retaliation; unmotivated to risk
expressing concerns for fear of the fall out and/or dismissal of the concern as lacking validity or merit;
feeling not part of the dominant group; not wanting to go to the union; not wanting to create trouble.
In the view of the ICC, the ombudsperson directs/facilitates an intermediary process of conflict
resolution at a lower, intermediary level than a formal complaint. S/he mediates involved parties to
resolve issues themselves, by encouraging, inspiring confidence, and empowering them to reach a
peaceful, cooperative, collaborative resolution. S/he reduces formal complaints and heads off litigious
behavior.
Advertising the Ombudsperson position should require a multi-level effort to communicate the purpose.
A book, The Promise of Mediation, Acknowledgement, Remediation is recommended.
Borst/Bernstein-Danis motion: The ICC recommends reinstating the ombudsperson position to help
manage complaints of members of the KU campus community, in a manner tbd. Carries.
J. Cohen will draft the letter for review at October meeting.
Adjournment
Borst/Bernstein-Danis motion to adjourn. Carries 12:15 p.m.
- respectfully submitted, Jo Cohen