Credit: Nick Romanenko

University ombudsperson Sybil James and administrative assistant Susan Leventhal on the College Avenue Campus standing in front of Van Nest Hall, where their office is located. Students who feel they have run up against a wall with academic or student service issues can visit, call, or e-mail. The ombudsperson's Web site is ombuds.rutgers.edu.

University ombudsperson Sybil James wants you to know she’s here and ready to help.

“I want faculty and staff to become more aware of my office, to include me in the list of resources when they refer students for assistance,” said James, who is starting her first full academic year in the new office, located in Van Nest Hall on the College Avenue Campus.

An idea born from a series of presidential student service retreats starting in 2003, the ombudsperson is neither an advocate for students nor an agent of the administration. Rather, the ombudsperson will advocate for fair administration of academic policy and student services.

James will mediate conflicts, help students seek solutions to their difficult campus issues, and explain university policies to students and parents who may be confused or intimidated by the way things work at a massive public research university like Rutgers.

“A lot of times students aren’t always aware of the resources that are available to them,” said James, who spent 10 years as an assistant dean at the School of Law-Camden and worked as a judicial affairs officer at the University of Pennsylvania. She has a law degree from Penn and is an alumna of Rutgers College.

James began the ombudsperson job toward the end of last academic year. Her office was flooded with calls and emails from students who learned late spring semester that they would not have enough credits to graduate on time.

For the most part, students are disappointed when they learn they can’t walk across the stage, but parents take it the worst. “It’s heartbreaking for them. ... In most cases, it was the parents that ultimately had to be comforted and consoled.”

So far this academic year, James has dealt with concerns from housing to transportation to course registration. James will take on virtually any problem when all other possibilities have been exhausted.

“If it’s not a complicated issue, say, a roommate conflict, it probably doesn’t need to come to this office,” James said. “But if there is some greater issue and the student has met with a resident assistant, an assistant dean, and there’s an issue that really can’t be addressed, it is important that I know about it.” In the interest of fairness, James pledges to listen to all sides involved in a problem before she makes any recommendations.

In addition to addressing the pressing matters of individual students, James and administrative assistant Susan Leventhal will track systemic problems at the university. “We are creating a database to log cases. It tracks the issue, what types of resolutions or approaches I explored, and what the outcome was. This makes it easier to see the continuing issues. As of now I have about 40 items in that log.”

So what should faculty and staff members dealing with students look for when they refer someone to the ombudsperson’s office? Both common and uncommon problems. “If they see a matter and they say, ‘This happens all the time to students.’ Or they might say, ‘I’ve never seen this happen to a student.’ I would want to know about those things,” James said.

Rutgers faculty and staff should remember that James’ office is one of last resort. “Don’t assume the student has done the obvious because a lot of times it may not be so obvious to them,” James said. On the other hand, James would rather a student come to her office than suffer the consequences of inaction. “I would rather address their issue than to have someone give up.”