Community

Last Updated on Saturday, 04 February 2012 02:50

By The Ombuds Advisory Committee

ombuds Starting in February, the GreenStar Ombuds program will be available to member-owners and staff who have questions, concerns, conflicts or issues relating to GreenStar. The Ombuds Program offers an independent and impartial resource for all stakeholders of the GreenStar community.

Two GreenStar member-owners, D. ("Dee") Scott and Evie Weinstein, were selected by Council's Ombuds Advisory Committee as GreenStar's first Ombuds. The Advisory Committee includes Co-op staff, members, and Council officers. D. and Evie will be available to answer questions, provide information, make inquiries, and help to develop a range of options for users of this service. Both Evie and D. have backgrounds in social work and share a primary goal of coaching individuals on how concerns brought to their attention may be resolved through the parties' own efforts. The Ombuds service provided will be held in strict confidence, and there will be no identification of individuals using the Ombuds Program.

Around Town: Occupy Ithaca

By Zuri Sabir

occupy tent_450 If you "google" the words "opinion on," the fourth search suggestion to appear is "opinion on Occupy Wall Street" — listed only behind the heavy hitters "opinion on abortion," "opinion on death penalty" and "opinion on gay marriage." The associated headlines include "Why Occupy Wall Street will Keep up the Fight," from the Washington Post, "Survey Finds Rising Perception of Class Tension" and "The Occupy Wall Street Movement Is No Tahrir Square" (the Cairo location of peaceful pro-democracy protests in Egypt). There are many opinions on how this ongoing movement has and will fit into the American landscape and, wherever you stand on the issues it summons to criticize, it is hard to ignore that, in a short amount of time, Occupy Wall Street has lodged its way into the general zeitgeist of our times. It is providing a platform for many to express their concerns about America's future.

What is a GreenStar Ombudsperson?

Last Updated on Sunday, 29 January 2012 20:47

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The Ombuds program was created to assist members of the GreenStar community (members, staff, vendors and others) in getting questions, concerns, suggestions, problems or complaints (involving the Co-op) addressed. We are guided by four main ethical principles: confidentiality, neutrality/impartiality, independence and informality.

What does a GreenStar Ombudsperson DO?

Acts as an impartial and confidential "sounding board" for concerns
Explains GreenStar policies/procedures
Helps develop a range of options
Refers to appropriate channels to address concerns
Identifies perceived gaps, inconsistencies, problematic trends or policies

What does a GreenStar Ombudsperson NOT do?

Serve as advocates for anyone in the GS community
Establish policy
Spend a disproportionate amount of time with any one person seeking help.

Guiding Principles

CONFIDENTIALITY

The Ombudsperson holds all communications with those seeking assistance in strict confidence, and does not disclose confidential communications unless given permission to do so. The only exception to this privilege of confidentiality is where there appears to be imminent risk of serious harm.

NEUTRALITY/IMPARTIALITY

The Ombudsperson, as a designated neutral, remains unaligned and impartial. The Ombudsperson does not engage in any situation that could create a conflict of interest.

INDEPENDENCE

The Ombudsperson is independent in structure, function, and appearance to the highest degree possible within the organization.

INFORMALITY

The Ombudsperson, as an informal resource, does not participate in any formal adjudicative or administrative procedure related to concerns brought to his/her attention.

When should you contact the Ombudsperson?

Many problems can be handled through the normal channels. First consult the person responsible for the specific area, such as a department head or supervisor (by asking for assistance at the front desk). If you are not comfortable doing so, or if you still need information or assistance, contact the ombudsperson.