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Ombuds Workshops: Interpersonal, Interactive, and Interesting | From the Ombuds

From the Ombuds Archive, ombuds • • • , , ,

One of my favorite things to do as UNLV’s Ombuds is to lead interactive workshops. Our office offers over a dozen different workshops on a variety of topics relating to communication and conflict resolution.  As the headline implies, these workshops are designed to help participants develop interpersonal skills in a way that is interactive and, hopefully, interesting. As Ombuds, I work with […]

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UNLV Ombuds Office Releases 2023 2nd Quarter Report | From the Ombuds

From the Ombuds Archive, ombuds • • • ,

One of my favorite things to do as UNLV’s Ombuds is to lead interactive workshops. Our office offers over a dozen different workshops on a variety of topics relating to communication and conflict resolution.  As the headline implies, these workshops are designed to help participants develop interpersonal skills in a way that is interactive and, hopefully, interesting. As Ombuds, I work with

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Four Reasons Why People Get Frustrated: Airport Edition | From the Ombuds

From the Ombuds Archive, ombuds • • • , , ,

We’ve all seen clips of adults melting down in public—screaming, shouting profanities, and otherwise acting disgracefully. If we’re honest, there’s a healthy serving of smug superiority involved, as we tell ourselves that with our level of self-control, we would never make such a spectacle of ourselves. But maybe the question we should ask is what

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What Really Happens at the Ombuds Office? | From the Ombuds

From the Ombuds Archive, ombuds • • • ,

JUN. 19, 2023 In my most recent post, I talked a little about why I am shadowing folks around UNLV. I find immersing myself in other peoples’ workplace realities intellectually stimulating (there’s something invigorating about knowing with absolute certainty that you have the least relevant knowledge in the immediate area). What’s more, it helps me to

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Why I Want to Be Your Shadow (And You Should Too) | From the Ombuds

From the Ombuds Archive, ombuds • • • , , ,

JUN. 5, 2023 One of the best things about working in the Ombuds Office is getting to know a variety of people doing a many of jobs and expanding knowledge in different ways. I continue to be amazed by the sheer diversity of talents in the UNLV community. Every day, people are doing their part

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Why We Are in Conflict, Reason 3: Unmet Expectations | From the Ombuds

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I’ve got a new column posted on From the Ombuds about one of the most common reasons people find themselves in conflict: Almost a month ago (how time flies!), a speaker at the International Ombuds Association annual conference said something that stuck with me: conflict is driven by unmet expectations. I had never considered it

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UNLV Ombuds Office First Quarter 2023 Report Released | From the Ombuds

From the Ombuds Archive, ombuds • • • , ,

APR. 23, 2023 One quarter of 2023 is in the books. Let that sink in for a moment. In another three months, half the year will be gone, with so much yet to do. For better or worse, I have a quarterly report to help quantify just how much I’ve done (or haven’t done) on

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No, We (Usually) Don’t Want to Hear About Your Ex | From the Ombuds

From the Ombuds Archive, ombuds • • • , ,

APR. 10, 2023 Here’s the scene: you are about a month into a new relationship. You and your partner are strolling down a moonlit beach, antiquing in the Left Bank, striding toward the peak of Mt. Whitney, or doing whatever you think would be an intense bonding activity. Honestly, it can just be sitting at

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Formal? Informal? What’s the Difference, Anyway? | From the Ombuds

From the Ombuds Archive, ombuds • • • ,

MAR. 28, 2023 I frequently get asked just what an ombuds does—almost as often as I get asked how you say it (rhymes with “Tom Suds”). For me, one of the most important aspects of the office is its informality. But what does “informal” mean in this context, and how precisely is it different from

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Spring Break, Schedules, and Silos | From the Ombuds

From the Ombuds Archive, ombuds • • • ,

MAR. 15, 2023 It’s spring break, but that might not mean anything to you. Which makes me think of the many calendars we use on campus, and how that highlights the diversity of programs, jobs, and experiences at UNLV—or any major university. First, we have the standard calendar. That’s the one that starts on January

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When No News Is Bad News | From the Ombuds

From the Ombuds Archive, ombuds • • • ,

FEB. 25, 2023 Everyone who visits the Ombuds Office to discuss a concern is unique, with responsibilities, experiences, and aspirations that they share with no one else. Yet certain patterns emerge. In 2022, 38 percent of visitors to the office had issues surrounding communication with a supervisor. That’s why I have dedicated myself to leading

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One Question That Might Make the Supervisors’ Big Game a Bit Better | From the Ombuds

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FEB. 13, 2023 With the NFL’s big game just behind us, many on campus are turning to their next big battle, challenge, or opportunity (depending on the context): the annual evaluation, or as I like to imagine it, the yearly Big Game for supervisors. For academic and administrative faculty, due dates for our yearly Rite of Winter are rapidly

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UNLV Ombuds Office 2022 Annual Report Released | From the Ombuds

From the Ombuds Archive, ombuds • • • , ,

FEB. 3, 2023 It’s with deep satisfaction that I unveil the annual report charting the progress of UNLV’s Ombuds Office in calendar 2022. Before you read the entire report, you may want to look at a few of its highlights, as well as my thoughts on what they mean. The annual report gives me and Ombuds

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Involvement Fair: Outreach with an Unexpected Benefit | From the Ombuds

From the Ombuds Archive, ombuds • • • ,

JAN. 26, 2023 This has been a busy season at the Ombuds Office. I had originally planned to publish a post discussing the release of our 2022 annual report (indeed, it is mostly written), but due to a high level of volume of visitors and other work over the past week, the report isn’t ready

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Leading by Listening: A Big Band Jazz Odyssey | From the Ombuds

From the Ombuds Archive, ombuds • • • , ,

JAN. 10, 2023 Over the past few weeks, I have been prepping a new Honors seminar about jazz history, which has let me become more acquainted with music that I have long adored. It also offered me some insights that I can deploy in my day job as Ombuds, via the opportunity to critically consider

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Reviewing Your Year: Wrapping Up, Looking Ahead | From the Ombuds

From the Ombuds Archive, ombuds • • • , ,

DEC. 22, 2022 The semester is over. All of the students who were going to walk across the stage at Winter 2022 Commencement have done it and started their next chapter. The days are short, but just getting longer. All this means one thing: We are about to say goodbye to 2022. In the past

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Why, What, How: Three Questions We Need to Answer about Culture Change | From the Ombuds

From the Ombuds Archive, ombuds • • • , , ,

DEC. 12, 2022 As we hurtle toward the end of the semester, people are busy, but I would like to take a moment to share something that should be timely. My most recent post, on how Mary Rowe’s concept of microaffirmations might have a place in shifting culture, generated more interest than anything I have written

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Is the Grass Really Greener? |  From the Ombuds

author, From the Ombuds Archive, ombuds • •

NOV. 15, 2022 As part of my drive to be the best ombuds for UNLV that I can (and, I won’t deny it, because they are extremely interesting people), I’ve cultivated as many opportunities as I can to speak with ombuds at other colleges, laboratories, and universities. I’m writing about this today because I spent time

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Why Not the Visit the Ombuds? | From the Ombuds

From the Ombuds Archive, ombuds • • • , ,

OCT. 24, 2022 Ombuds Week, which UNLV celebrated two weeks ago, provided many opportunities for members of the campus community to engage with the Ombuds Office. Whether it was at our Difficult Conversations roleplay workshop or with our Escape Room, students, faculty, and staff got to learn more about healthy ways to resolve conflict. They

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