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Joel Jessen

Faculty Professor and Ombudsman
Academic Support Division

	Office C-209
	PHONE 972 860 7692
	JJESSEN@DCCCD.EDU

Joel Jessen attended the University of Iowa, in Iowa City, Iowa and obtained a Masters of Arts in counseling. Joel has been a faculty counselor and professor at Eastfield since 1970. He has taught psychology, sociology, and human development. Presently he is teaching human sexuality and human development and provides ombudsman / mediation / counseling services.

Joel is married with two children. His specialty is using systems theory in evaluating individuals or relationships as to healthy and dysfunctional uses of power.

Joel feels that Eastfield College is an excellent educational milieu in which students can discover personal values, interests, skills and career directions.

As Eastfield’s Ombudsman, Joel values the following statement:

"At times it is best to work for a win/win solution so all involved can participate in the negotiation and celebration."

VISION

At times in an organization people face differences of opinion that can lead to emotional and physical stress as well as the loss of productivity. In an attempt to offer varied options for staff and students in resolving concerns; Eastfield has developed an Ombudsman program.

This conflict resolution program aims at developing flexible formats that can be customized to meet the needs of persons attempting to resolve differences of opinion and build positive relationships.

The judicial system can be time consuming and costly. Administrative problem solving can take away individual participation and possibly lack time necessary to work out agreements between involved persons. Having expectations that people will work out their own solutions builds optimism in an organization while strengthening both the organization and the individual.

INFLUENCES

In the United States there are several formats that have evolved out of China, Japan, Scandinavia, Africa, and Israeli Kibbutzim that focus on peace making while rejecting the win/lose format. Examples are: passing the peace pipe with Native Americans, China and Japan’s use of win/win mediation, and therapeutic encounter groups focusing on empowerment and personal awareness. Currently we have evolved towards court appointed alternative dispute mediations that focus on using a fair and objective mediator who empowers the participants towards solving their own problems. Eastfield offers such an option with our Ombudsman program.

RECIPE FOR A WIN / WIN PROCESS

When people follow certain norms / rules / values then the possibility for a win / win solution is likely. This balanced view from the participants recognizes a respect for the following aspects of a mutually accepted agreement:

• Ensure the use of norms that create personal atmospheres conducive for empowerment, cooperation and the building of win / win solutions.
• Typical norms in a win / win agreement are confidentiality, trust, openness, honesty, fairness, cooperation, creativity, responsible risk taking, use of a process facilitating neutral third party, and having the participants control the final solution.
• Facilitate discovery, understanding and the practice of individual skills needed in personal conflict resolution.
• Clarify the rights and responsibilities of those involved with a concern.
• Develop personal accounts of the facts and opinions related to a situational concern.
• Make an accurate listing of what each side wants.
• Develop problem-solving strategies.
• Recognize possible win / win solutions.
• Know when to give up or to request a grievance procedure.
• Build expectations that mutual success is beneficial to future happiness.

WE ALL CAN BE OMBUDSPERSONS

As Eastfield builds expectations of win/win relationships and as people build skills of facilitating themselves and others in this process of empowering each other, our organization will evolve confidence in its value for fairness.

COORDINATOR

Joel Jessen, Ombudsman, would welcome discussing this program with students, staff or others wanting to participate.

Possible applications are student or staff informational workshops, conflict resolution planning/strategy, and the support of organizational processes.

Joel would welcome any inquiries as to counseling services, courses he teaches and the Ombudsman program. Feel free to call, e-mail or just drop in to become acquainted.

Eastfield College Ombudsman Program

The Eastfield College Ombudsman Program reflects the following services, concepts and values:

1.  A just community shows no favoritism to anyone; allowing the strong to speak and the weak to be strengthened.

The difference between private and public discussions can be shown in the respect observed by keeping discussions confidential, honest and respecting differences until both sides agree.

Both sides agreeing could mean:  agreeing, agreeing to disagree, continuing the status quo or using another venue.

Win – Win feels differently from Win – Lose and both are used with different levels of concerns.  Normal concerns can expect win - win outcomes.  Serious concerns often lean towards win - lose venues.

Conversations, facilitation, mediation, grievance, law suits are various forms or venues of conflict resolution.

Discrimination can be addressed between individuals or groups concerning racial, sexual, religious, age, disability, national origin, personality, values, work, school or community related concerns.  

2. Ombudsman services attempt to provide equitable solutions to the benefit of all parties involved.  The services are confidential in that all involved agree to keep the discussions confidential until discussions end and a final agreement is complete.   What are not considered confidential are issues of legal concern.

The  Ombuds Office is a safe, anonymous, confidential, neutral place to express concerns. The Ombuds reviews each call without prejudice, and is neither an advocate nor critic of any cause. The primary mission is to provide a confidential, neutral, and informal process which facilitates fair and equitable resolution to problems.

The Ombudsman will not discuss a person’s concerns with anyone without permission. The nature of the Ombudsmen office is confidential and informal; it is not considered an "office of notice" to the college or district.  Complaints are not "filed" in the Ombudsman Office. The Ombudsman Office does not keep records on behalf of the college, district or any person.

3.   The word "ombudsman" has Scandinavian origins, and was first used as a public office in Sweden. According to one scholar, the term refers to  "a person who has an ear to the people."  In American colleges and universities, the office is often referred to as an "agent for justice" within the complex institutional systems of higher education.

An Ombudsman facilitates communication when conflict arises among students, staff, faculty and administrators.

4.  These principles are followed:

If you are a student, staff, faculty member or administrator and find yourself in a disagreement or dispute, you can turn to the Eastfield College Ombudsmen Office C-209, 972 860 7692, Joel Jessen.

The role of the Ombudsman is to ensure that staff, students and faculty receive fair, equitable, impartial, objective and just treatment within district and college policy.  The name of the person requesting help can only be used in the investigation of the matter with the person’s permission. Contact and communication with the office are also confidential.

5.  Services: Hearing concerns, complaints, and grievances.  Helping to identify and evaluate options for resolution with all parties, investigating when appropriate.

Serving as neutral facilitator, conciliator, and/or mediator in problem-solving and conflict resolution.  Provides Information. Maintaining resource files on campus/district policies, procedures, services, and programs.  Making referrals to other resources. Serves as process consultant, conducting forums and workshops. Working with policy making groups.  Offering recommendations regarding changes in policies, procedures, and resolution structures.  Essentially, an Ombudsman investigates claims of unfair treatment or erroneous procedure. This may include listening, advising, and making recommendations. If a person has a problem, they can often be helped to obtain the information needed to solve it.  An Ombudsman may also act as a helpful facilitator or mediator in negotiating a solution to conflict.

6.   What does the ombuds office not do?

• Advocate for specific outcomes
• Breach confidentiality
• Determine "guilt" or "innocence"
• Make binding or administrative decisions
• Participate in formal grievance procedures
• Make policy
• Maintain official records
• Give legal advice

7. If you have a reason for not wanting to go through official channels, a talk with an Ombudsman may help to identify alternative courses of action. For many problems, a normal procedure or route of appeal is set out in district or college policies and procedures. Academic advisors, staff, faculty, administrators, department deans and supervisors are all experts at handling specific types of problems, and should normally be consulted first. If you don't know whether there is a procedure that fits your situation, contact the Ombudsman Office.

8. The four main standards of practice in the ombudsman profession are being “informal, independent, neutral, and confidential.”

Informal:  The Ombudsman Office is informal.  An ombudsperson facilitates communication when conflict arises and provides an opportunity for informal dispute resolution.  An ombudsperson does not arbitrate, adjudicate, or participate in any internal or external formal proceedings. 
We cannot become involved, or must cease providing any assistance to a person should an attorney become involved.

Independent:  To ensure objectivity, the Ombudsman operates independently of the usual administrative authorities.  

Neutral: The Ombudsman Office is neutral.  An ombudsperson is not an advocate for individuals but is an advocate for fair process. We will not take sides in any conflict, dispute or issue, but we consider the interests and concerns of all parties involved with the aim of achieving a fair and equitable outcome.

Confidential:  The Ombudsman Office is confidential.  An ombudsman will not share any information a person provides with anyone without permission.

An exception to maintaining any such confidentiality would be if an ombudsperson had a reasonable concern about possible violence or physical harm or legal issues. In addition, the Ombudsman Office does not keep records on behalf of the district, college or any person.  To help us keep information confidential, we encourage telephoning the office or speaking with the ombudsman in person rather than using e-mail. 

9. By telling the Ombudsperson about a conflict, dispute or complaint, a person has not informed or notified any college administrator of a grievance; therefore, the district or college cannot and will not take any action to remedy the situation.  In order for the administrator to take action to remedy a complaint, one must share it with an administrator who represents the district or college. However, the Ombudsman Office can help a person to find the appropriate person to speak to in order to request that the district or college take some action, if that is what the person wants.  We can inform of policies and procedures related to the situation if it is decided to take the complaint to a more formal level.  If a person has a reason for not wanting to go through official channels, a talk with an ombudsperson may help to identify alternative courses of action.
 
10. Consider the following suggestions when working through a problem. Once again, we are grateful to the University of Michigan Ombuds Office for many of these suggestions:

1. Always try to solve a problem informally first.   Many disputes can be resolved through informal discussions, and this avoids stressful, time-consuming, and adversarial official procedures. Solve problems fast and informally if possible.
2. Focus on the problem, not the person. Be hard on the problem and soft on the person. You will have greater success if you see the person as a potential partner or resource who can help you solve the problem.
3. Be assertive, but be courteous. Civil and respectful behavior goes a long way toward enlisting someone's cooperation in achieving your goal and solving the problem.
4. Focus on the immediate problem. If you are appealing a grade, this is not the time to raise all of your complaints about how the class was organized or managed.  What are your two or three concerns you want to discuss?
5. Prepare for your meeting. Know what you hope to achieve in any meeting that deals with a problem. Do you want a new policy or procedure instituted? Are you seeking an exception to an existing policy? Do you want someone's behavior to change? If you don't know what you want, you might not get it. Also, remember that the approach you take to deal with a problem may differ depending upon the nature of the problem and what you wish to achieve.
6. Put yourself in the other person's shoes. Anticipate and consider other points of view. Most people truly want to be fair. If you understand the other person's perspective, you may discover a way to achieve outcomes that serve both your interests.
7. If you do not feel comfortable talking with someone in person, send a letter explaining how you feel and what alternatives you think are appropriate. Enumerate each point you would like addressed, and ask for a written response to each point. If you forget an item or want to add something later, send an addendum.
8. Be specific. When you make a complaint, list your concerns and ask for a response to each concern. This will help to facilitate an appropriate and complete response.
9. Watch your language. Your tone of voice and what you say can work against you if you blame the other person or make that person feel defensive or hostile. Focus on the results of an action and how you've been affected, not on your assumptions about the motivations or intent of the other person. For example, students concerned about a grade might say: "I do not understand how you arrived at my grade; I believe I met the criteria outlined for a "B" for the following reasons . . . " This is more tactful (and effective) than saying: "You graded me unfairly." The first response states your concern and offers evidence to support your position; the second may be seen as whining or as an attack on the professor. This may end your conversation rather than lead to the conclusion you seek.
10. Give people time to consider the issues you raise. Do not always press for an immediate response. Writing letters is one way to accomplish this. Let the other person know that you will contact them if you do not hear back by a certain date. Check back with people even if they deny your request at first. If given time to think, they may change their minds.
11. Give yourself time to think about options presented. If you're inclined to use e-mail, do not send the message right away. Save it and send it after you've had a chance to consider the issue and check the message for tone. E-mail messages are often misinterpreted because they seem terse. You have to be careful what you e-mail to someone else. You should view it as a form of formal written correspondence.
12. Do not send anything over e-mail that you wouldn't want repeated or "on the record." If you are involved with an issue of a confidential or sensitive nature, do not use e-mail at all.   Yet, e-mail can be a historical record of what has happened.
13. Keep your options open and do not burn bridges. Turn in papers, projects, or other course requirements on time even if an instructor says they will not be accepted. Turn them in to the department chair, if necessary, to show that you are fulfilling your obligations. If there is a question about whether or not you ought to be attending a class, keep attending until the matter is resolved.
14. Be creative and open to compromises. When two parties have opposing points of view and nothing else has worked, the best solution may be a compromise.
15. When it appears that someone has made a mistake in good faith, let him or her save face; give the person room to find a graceful way out.
16. Keep a log (date, time, place, person, matter discussed) of anything that happens that is related to your complaint or problem.
17. If you believe that your concern may not be resolved in a satisfactory manner, talk to the Ombudsperson.
18. Follow the organizational hierarchy. If you have a problem with a person or administrator go to that person first to resolve it.   Writing letters to the Chancellor or President prior to working your way through the organizational hierarchy does not ordinarily speed up the resolution of the problem.
19. Find others who feel the same way you do about a situation; this often adds credence to your complaint. When working with a group, however, use extra caution so as not to put the person you are complaining to on the defensive.
20. Pick an appropriate time to talk. Talking with an instructor or administrator in a crowded hallway after class or when you know a person is under pressure may not be the best time to resolve a problem or discuss a sensitive matter.
21. If you are only seeking information, do not wish to pursue a complaint, or want a conversation to be confidential, state this initially so there are no misunderstandings.
22. Resist the temptation to seek revenge. When someone involved in a disagreement decides to "teach the other person a lesson," it becomes very difficult to forge a quick and satisfactory resolution.

11.  Ombudsman services are available to all college personnel: administrators, faculty, staff and students.

12.  Contact: Joel Jessen, Ombudsman
Eastfield College Ombudsman Program
Office C – 209, phone 972 860 7692.
JJessen@dcccd.edu

Note: Material adapted from El Centro, Kansas University, Northern Arizona University, University of Colorado at Bolder, University of Iowa, University of Michigan, MIT and Texas Tech Ombudsman programs.