Ombuds Office
Who is the Pomona College ombuds?
Gecole (“G-Coal”) Harley, J.D., MSW has served as ombuds at institutions of higher education and at health care organizations for over 15 years. Contact the ombuds to get more information or to schedule an appointment.
How is the Ombuds Office staffed?
The Ombuds office is staffed by one part-time employee so when you contact the office, please leave a message with your name, phone number and with convenient times for a return call. Generally, the ombuds will be on campus on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and when off campus, will respond to calls within one business day.
Where is the Ombuds Office located?
Pomona College Ombuds Office
201 Fourth Street, Ste. 103
Contacting the Ombuds
How can I contact the Ombuds?
(909) 607-3888
ombuds@pomona.edu
Please be thoughtful about email communication. Email is convenient but not secure, so if you are communicating sensitive information, please consider calling instead.
Will my professor, colleague, student, or boss know I have contacted you?
The Ombuds Office will not tell anyone you have contacted us. Others will learn you have used the Ombuds Office only if you tell them or if you specifically direct us to tell someone about your concern.
What’s the first step I take to see if I should work with an ombuds?
Call the Ombuds Office to get more information or to schedule an appointment. We strongly encourage you to call first instead of dropping by, so we can provide the most privacy and confidentiality for Ombuds Office visitors.
Can I just email the Ombuds Office?
Yes and No. E-mail isn’t a secure way to communicate, so you should use it to contact us only if confidentiality and anonymity are not important to your particular concern.
Can someone force me to use the Ombuds Office?
No. Using ombuds services is voluntary.
Confidentiality of the Ombuds
Can someone force the Ombuds Office to share information without a court order?
No. The Ombuds Office is independent of standard reporting structures. The Office of the Ombuds reports directly to the President for administrative and budgetary purposes only. The professional code of ethics for Organizational Ombuds requires ombuds to keep information confidential. The two exceptions to confidentiality are disclosures of child or elder abuse and imminent risk of serious harm to self or others.
How is the Ombuds Office different from other offices on campus that address community member concerns?
Working with us is off the record, which sometimes makes talking about problems a little less intimidating. Our process is informal, and we emphasize developing strategies you can use before you decide it is necessary to use formal administrative processes. The Ombuds Office does not make decisions and does not take disciplinary action. The Ombuds Office can help you decide how to approach formal administrative processes effectively if necessary.
How does the confidentiality work?
Ombuds Office’s work with you is strictly off the record unless you specifically ask us to help you work with someone else. The Ombuds Office will not talk to anyone about your issues, though we do provide periodic reports to the President and her staff about trends we see. In this case, statistics about the kinds of concerns we work with are reported in a general way to protect your anonymity.
Work with the Ombuds is voluntarily and confidential as guided by the principles of the International Ombudsman Association (IOA). In working with the Ombuds, you agree that you won’t call on the Ombuds to testify regarding the confidential communications.
Why aren’t you an advocate for me?
The Ombuds Office staff advocates for fair process rather than individuals or groups in accordance with professional ombuds ethics and standards of practice. The office does not take sides. A benefit of this approach is that the ombuds might discover—or help you discover—a useful alternative perspective that might otherwise have been missed.
Can I remain anonymous?
Yes. The ombuds staff will not reveal your identity unless you specifically request it as part of working towards resolution of your concerns.
I’ve heard you sometimes act as a third party in difficult conversations. What does that mean?
Have you ever been in a heated discussion with someone and felt they weren’t really hearing what you had to say? Or found yourself getting lost as strong emotions in the conversation pushed your hot buttons? If you request it and the other person agrees, we can sit in on the conversation and help promote an effective process, so each of you is listened to by the other and gets help clarifying important points when necessary.
What kind of records do you keep?
We may make a few notes while we work with you, and if we do, we will destroy them at the end of our work together or after 6 months of no activity. We do not keep permanent records. We do keep some statistical data about the categories of concerns visitors discuss, as well as some general demographic data which is aggregated.
If I have a dispute or conflict when there is a power imbalance, how can the office help?
The role of an ombuds is to remain impartial, to listen to and acknowledge all parties’ concerns and interests, to gather facts and ask appropriate questions as an informal means to help parties identify acceptable outcomes. It is the role of the ombuds to be aware of power imbalances and to be transparent about the challenges of that dynamic in the dispute.