The University of Iowa’s Office of Ombudsperson has been spreading the word about its services, which officials say could be the cause of an increase in office visits
By Kayli Reese
The University of Iowa Office of Ombudsperson has been focusing strongly on self-promotion, and it seems to be working.
On campus, the office specializes in aiding people in problem solving skills and conflict management in a confidential space, UI Ombudsperson Cynthia Joyce, said. She noted the services are provided to anyone in the UI community.
“Three years ago, we saw a pretty good jump in numbers,” she said.
From 2012 to 2013, the office reported a 23 percent increase in visitors, going from approximately 500 people seeking their services to around 600. Joyce said this higher number has held pretty stable since then.
However, Joyce and UI Ombudsperson Susan Johnson said they do not know what exactly contributed to the spike in the number of visits.
“We spent quite a bit of time looking at our data and looking at what may have happened,” Johnson said.
The two said better marketing and promotion of the office to UI students, staff, and faculty may have been the cause.
UI senior Alexandria Miller, who has interned at the Ombudsperson’s Office since last semester, has worked with Joyce to make the marketing strategies for the office more effective and able to reach a larger number of people.
Miller said when she first arrived, the office mainly used pamphlets and fliers to give out their information. Now, she said, the marketing is more student-friendly, with a Facebook page and presentations given to provide people with information about its services.
Student organizations have also partnered with the office to provide some workshops to students about how to be better communicators and manage conflicts, she said.
Joyce and Johnson said the most common visits to the Ombudspersons’ Office are concerns about interpersonal relationships. UI staff and faculty, Joyce said, make up half of the yearly visits to the office, and 41 percent of concerns involve working with people above or below their position.
Student concerns, Joyce said, vary a little more in topic at the office. Concerns about a student-teacher relationship make up 30 percent of student concerns at the office, she said.
“We’re pretty confident that there are people who could benefit [from visiting the office],” Johnson said.
Many people, she said, feel as if their problems are not serious enough to go see an ombudsperson and talk about their issues. However, she said if a conflict is bothering a person, it must be important, and the office definitely wants to help people who may feel like a problem is too big to solve on their own.
Miller, from a student perspective, sees the benefits of visiting the office. She said the office is a perfect medium for students who feel uncomfortable speaking with a dean and directly confronting the source of the issue.
She also said people have reported feeling much better following a visit with an ombudsperson, who can make a student, staff, or faculty member feel as if they have some control over personal issues.
“There are a lot of things on campus, especially to students, that make you feel like you have no power,” she said.