<General Information<Academic Services and Support

Welcome to York University's Office of the Ombudsperson and Centre for Human Rights. The mandate of the Office is to provide an independent, impartial and confidential process through which any current student or employee of the York University community may pursue the just, fair and equitable resolution of complaints about University-related concerns. Such complaints may be about:

• Alleged unfairness in a University process, application of a process or absence of a process as outlined in its policies, procedures, rules or directives
• Alleged discrimination and/or harassment as defined in the Ontario Human Rights Code or York University's human rights policies

The Office provides impartial information, advice, referrals, problem solving and informed intervention. We are available to listen to concerns, issues, and complaints; to clarify university policy and procedure; to explore informal and alternative conflict resolution options; and, to help you find the person or department that can address your inquiries. Sometimes we will conduct an investigation but mostly we mediate and facilitate resolutions between people. We collaborate and coordinate with other offices across York as needed to solve problems and miscommunications as they arise.

The Ombuds Office can be your "last resort," offering assistance when existing channels, processes, and procedures have failed adequately address or bring resolution to a problem. Or, we may be your first stop when you do not know where to begin.

In terms of Human Rights, the Office assists individuals and groups to address and resolve allegations of discrimination and harassment as defined by the Ontario Human Rights Code along with York's Human Rights policies and provisions. If you have or are dealing with a human rights complaint, for example, sexual harassment or racial discrimination, our Office is available at any time to assist.

The Office plays a significant role in promoting Human Rights through the distribution of information and educational programming. Additionally, the Office houses an extensive and expanding collection of print and audio-visual resources, which are available to members of the York community.

The Ombudsperson and Director of the Centre for Human Rights at York University is Fiona Crean. She reports to the President of the University but has an arm's length relationship and is independent of all administrative structures. The role of the Ombudsperson is to provide all university constituencies an accessible, impartial, non-adversarial, and confidential resource for the timely and fair resolution of problems. The Ombudsperson works independently and objectively to assist in mediating and resolving misunderstandings and disagreements. The universally recognized features of Ombudship include: Independence, Flexibility, Accessibility and Credibility.

The Office of the Ombudsperson and Centre for Human Rights is located at S327 Ross South Building. It is open daily from 9am to 5pm and if you need to see us outside office hours, we can arrange that. You can reach us at 416-736-5682, TTY 416-650-8023 or by e-mail at ombuds@yorku.ca.