Frequently Asked Questions

Our Charles River Campus Office is located at 930 Commonwealth Avenue, at the corner of Pleasant Street. The most direct entrance to our office is on Pleasant Street.

Charles River Campus
930 Commonwealth Avenue
Boston MA 02215
(617) 358-5960

We highly encourage you to schedule an appointment in advance to be sure one of us is available. Contact Us

What’s an ombuds?

What we can and cannot do.

When should I contact the ombuds.

Examples of Issues to Bring to the Ombuds.

You may call or email us at any time to make an appointment. If we are unavailable when you call, you can leave a confidential voicemail message. Rest assured that we will return your call. While you do not need to leave your name or identifying information, you may wish to leave a call back number or email address so we can get back to you. You may also wish to leave some information about your availability and whether you’d like to meet in person, via Zoom, or by phone. Initial appointments are usually scheduled for an hour, but we can adjust according to your availability, and we will do our best to accommodate your schedule.  

• Help with having a difficult conversation.
• Clarification of a policy or process.
• Concerns about inequities in work or pay.
• Concerns about unethical or inappropriate behavior.
• Concerns about health and life safety.
• Interpersonal conflicts, office politics, and problems with workplace climate.
• Concerns about career advancement and job satisfaction or security.
• Problems with institutional non-responsiveness and red-tape.
• Concerns about procedural fairness.
• Requests for structured mediation and facilitated conversations.
• Help identifying formal channels to notify the University.

Yes.  While the ombuds is not authorized to receive formal complaints, an ombuds can help you understand processes and discuss possible outcomes before you decide whether to file a complaint. An ombuds can also help identify alternatives to formal grievance procedures and direct you to the appropriate procedures and office should you wish to file a formal complaint.

The Office of the Ombuds is situated outside of the management structure at BU and reports directly to the President of Boston University for administrative and budgetary purposes. The Office can function independently and impartially in part because it is not connected to any other office. The Office also provides a very strict promise of confidentiality which allows you to have off-the-record conversations about highly sensitive concerns.

Our office and the Faculty & Staff Assistance Office share some important features, including a practice of confidentiality, and staff experienced in assisting with highly sensitive concerns, troubled relationships, communication breakdowns, and organizational problems.

The Office of the Ombuds is staffed by organizational ombuds with extensive experience in conflict management and alternative dispute resolution. An ombuds can help you evaluate just about any kind of concern you may have regarding life, work, or school at BU. The Ombuds Office reports to the President of the University for administrative and budgetary purposes, which helps ensure its independence and impartiality.   Finally, our mission includes communicating trends and patterns of problems to senior officials at Boston University so that systemic problems can be identified and addressed.

The Faculty & Staff Assistance Office is an employee assistance program available to all faculty, staff and their household family members. The Faculty & Staff Assistance Office is staffed by licensed behavioral health providers, licensed social workers and psychologists. They provide confidential consultation and counseling for both personal or work-related problems and can make appropriate referrals to community resources.

No, the Office of the Ombuds is independent and neutral and does not take sides on behalf or any individuals or cause. Thus, the ombuds is not a substitute for an advocate, lawyer, representative, or counselor. Working with the ombuds may help you address your concerns effectively, but contacting the office does not constitute giving notice to the University of any claims you might have. You may wish to consult with a lawyer or other appropriate resources to obtain guidance on whether any legal rights may be involved and when or how to notify the University of a claim.

Yes. Confidentiality is essential to the functioning of the Boston University Office of the Ombuds. Communications with the ombuds are made with the understanding that they are confidential and that the ombuds will not testify with respect to confidential communications or participate in formal, grievance, or other legal proceedings. Consistent with the International Ombudsman Association Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice, the office also functions with the understanding that these communications are privileged, with the privilege held by the Office of the Ombuds, not the visitor to the office. The only exceptions to this confidentiality are when, during the course of your communications with an ombuds, you give permission to the ombuds to make disclosure and the ombuds agrees to do so, or when the ombuds determines that there is an imminent risk of serious harm.