About WCU Faculty Ombuds
The faculty ombudsperson is a designated neutral or impartial resource whose primary function is to provide trustworthy and informal assistance to the university’s faculty.
Note: the Ombudsperson is available to discuss issues of sexual harassment and sexual assault, disclosures of threats of imminent harm, or child abuse; however, these discussions will not be considered confidential and must be reported to the WCU Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Also note that while the Ombudsperson may give feedback to APSCUF, there are designated channels within APSCUF for recommending policy changes that impact the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) or APSCUF-Management local agreements.
The Faculty Ombuds Office operates on the principles of:
- Independence– The Ombudsperson operates autonomously from all other university structures
- Confidentiality – Nothing the Visitor shares with the Ombuds will be disclosed without express permission (except as noted above)
- Neutrality – The Ombuds advocates for fairness and equity but does not takes sides
- Informality – Conversations with the Ombuds are considered informal and off-the-record. If formal processes are chosen, the Ombuds is not involved.
The presumption of the Ombuds Office is that Visitors agree not to call the ombudsperson as a witness in any future legal proceedings regarding the issues being brought to that office.