Dalhousie University announces ombudsman's office

Dalhousie University says it will set up a new ombudsman's office this fall, one of the recommendations made in the wake of the dentistry school scandal.

The full-time position will be independent from student, staff, faculty and administration, according to a joint statement issued by Dalhousie's vice president of student affairs and the school's student union.

"The ombudspersonwill provide an accessible, independent, impartial and confidential office through which students may pursue the fair and equitable resolution to any university-related concern," the release said.

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The role is supposed to facilitate discussions and when needed, make recommendations to the school about policies or regulations.

The new position will also work with and report back to an advisory council, made up of three people appointed by the university and three by the Dalhousie Student Union.

Meeting recommendations

Establishing an ombudsman's office was one of 39 recommendations made after 13 male dentistry students were suspended, and later reinstated, for being part of a Facebook group that made abusive comments toward female classmates and patients.

Atask force was asked to deal with the fallout from the Facebook group and previous allegations of sexist behaviour on the part of faculty members.

The task force's reportfound there used to be a part-time ombudsman at Dalhousie, which was paid for in part by the school's student union, but the positionwas eliminated.

Citingexamples of offices at several other universities, it called for Dalhousie to "consider establishing a fully-funded ombudsperson office."

The task force's reportsaid an ombudsmancan help identify systemic issues as well as dealwith complaints relating to sexism, misogyny, racism and homophobia.

"Although they are a place of last resort, when no policy or process appears to fit the problem, they also provide a visible portal for those who do not know where to go to raise a concern," the report said.

'It's a positive step'

Wayne MacKay, a law professor at Dalhousie and cyberbullying expert, said the university's commitment to create an ombudsman's office is a good thing.

"It is a positive step, in that they are taking seriously the report and the need for change," he said, adding that the significance of the position will depend on the details of the job description, including whether or not the ombudsman will have the authority to enforce the recommendations it makes.

Either way, MacKay said it appears the university is making progress on the recommendations made by the task force.

He said updating the public on that progress is an important part of the response following a situation such as the Dalhousie dentistry scandal.

Kaitlynn Lowe, vice president-internal of the Dalhousie Student Union, said the student union has been working with the university to established the details of the position.

She says the creation of the position is something the student union has been calling for for several years, and they're "thrilled"to see it come to fruition.

"This is a great example of how collaboration between students and the university can work to better our campus for everyone," she said.

"I'm really looking forward to more partnerships between the university and the student union, especially when it comes to creating a campus that is more equitable."