The UI saw more calls regarding disrespectful behavior on campus last year, and officials cite the tough economy and flooding as contributing factors.

Seventeen percent of the calls to the UI Office of the Ombudsperson this year regarded disrespectful behavior. This is a large increase from 12 percent last year and 8 percent in 2006, according to the office’s annual report released Wednesday.

The office also saw more calls overall, with an increase of 15 percent this year over the 2007-08 school year.

UI Ombudsperson Cynthia Joyce said disrespectful behavior can range from a raised voice or swearing to violent acts, though reports of violence are much less common.

The report credits this increase to a number of stressful factors facing the UI campus and community last year, including flooding, sexual-assault cases, professors’ suicides, and the downturn in the economy.

“We’re just in a time when people have a lot of stresses,” said UI Ombudsperson Lois Cox. “It’s not surprising our numbers are up.”

According to the report, the office recorded 13 visits related directly to the flood. This could mean a case involving damaged property or a conflict involving loss of a workplace.

Joyce said events with effects as far-reaching as last year’s flood can affect the community psychologically.

Cox and Joyce also said worries about job loss and financial security can cause people to take out their frustration on employees and peers.

Joyce said that last year, the office received a number of calls from UI staff worried about their jobs before any cuts had even been announced.

And she still receives calls about job concerns.

“I make sure they are informed about cuts or layoffs going on in their department,” Joyce said.

She said a main part of her work in the Office of the Ombudsperson is to ensure clear communication between parties involved in a dispute.

One growing area of concern is students questioning their financial aid.

Joyce noted that since the start of the school year she has communicated with many students worried about scholarships and loans.

Susan Johnson, the UI associate provost for faculty, said she hasn’t kept an exact record of the number of calls she receives from faculty about financial concerns, but she knows everyone is feeling pressure during tough economic times.

Many faculty members are feeling the effect of budget cuts through a loss of research hours, Cox said.

Ideally, Cox said, a professor devotes 40 percent of his time to teaching, 40 percent to research, and 20 percent to service on university committees. But with shrinking class sizes and growing duties for all faculty, the research hours are often cut.

Johnson said that loss of research hours is a concern.

“It’s something we need to pay attention to,” she said.

Despite the increase in services, the Office of the Ombudsperson is not too concerned.

The increase could have been due to more people hearing about the services the office offers, not just an increase in stressful events for the community, Joyce said.

“An increase to our numbers is a double-edged sword,” she said.