Uncertainty related
to pending budget cuts is creating a high level of
workplace tension at the University, one of several
factors contributing to the sharp increase in incivility
complaints to the Office of the Ombudsperson in the
last year, according to the office’s 18th annual
report.
After four years of decline in incivility cases,
the 2003-04 academic year saw reports of incivility
more than double to 102 cases from 48 in 2002-03.
More than 80 percent of these complaints came from
merit and P&S staff members.
Maile Sagen, University ombudsperson, attributes
the increase to feelings of insecurity as offices
that were recommended for budget reductions by the
General Education
Fund (GEF) Task Force await word
on how much and when they will have to trim their
budgets.
“Employees are just waiting to see how large
the cuts will be and who will get furlough notices,” Sagen
says. “There’s a fear of the unknown,
and the sooner decisions are made, the better off
people will be.”
The report calls on UI administrators to be “thoughtful
and timely in announcing the next round of cuts.”
Overall, the office had 409 new contacts during
2003-04, an increase of 35 percent over the previous
year. The number of cases was up in all categories—staff,
faculty, and students.
Staff complaints, primarily related to job conflicts,
increased by 56 percent this year to 230, with slightly
more cases filed by merit staff than P&S staff.
Faculty cases increased by 67 percent this year,
with 80 new cases dealing with issues such as job
conflicts, conflicts involving teaching/research,
difficulties with promotion and tenure, and increased
teaching loads.
The majority of the 96 student complaints involved
academic issues such as difficulties with dissertation
advisers and/or committee members for graduate students,
and grade appeals and changing requirements for a
major for undergraduates.
The Office of the Ombudsperson serves faculty, staff,
and students by offering a confidential, neutral,
and independent dispute-resolution service. The UI
president appoints University ombudspersons. Sagen
serves as the staff ombudsperson. Lon Moeller, clinical
associate professor in the Tippie College of Business,
is serving as the half-time faculty om-budsperson.
Both Sagen and Moeller have informed UI President
David Skorton that they will leave the Office of
the Ombudsperson during the next academic year. Sagen
will retire and Moeller will become codirector of
the Iowa Nonprofit Resource Center in the College
of Law.
by Mary Geraghty Kenyon
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