Office of the Ombudsperson - Annual Report - September 1, 2022 - August 31, 2023

Oct 3, 2026

Annual report for the Office of the Ombudsperson at Camosun College covering September 1, 2022 to August 31, 2023. The report outlines the Ombudsperson’s impartial, independent and confidential role in addressing inquiries, concerns, complaints and grievances affecting students. It presents visitor and case volumes, the distribution of academic vs. non-academic issues, pathways used to contact the office, consultation outcomes, and categories of actions taken. It concludes with recommendations and follow-up activities based on themes emerging from student experience.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages32

Reading Time1 h 21 min

AccessFree to download

Executive Summary

Introduction

About the Office of the Ombudsperson: Mission, Structure and Mandate

What is Administrative Fairness?

Visitor Data

Overview of Aggregate Visitor Data

Recommendations

Recommendations: Sample themes

Key Recommendation

Recommendation follow up

Office Activity

INDEPENDENT CONFIDENTIAL IMPARTIAL INFORMAL ~~ ~~ Camosun College ~~ ~~OFFICE of the OMBUDSPERSON ANNUAL REPORT SEPTEMBER 1, 2022 – AUGUST 31, 2023 ROB THOMPSON, OMBUDSPERSON CONTENTS Executive Summary ....................................................... 1 Introduction ..............................................................3 About the Office of the Ombudsperson: Mission, Structure and Mandate ...........4 What is Administrative Fairness? .............................................6 Visitor Data ..............................................................7 Overview of Aggregate Visitor Data ..........................................8 Recommendations ...................................................... 23 Recommendations: Sample themes ........................................ 23 Key Recommendation ................................................... 24 Recommendation follow up ............................................... 27 Office Activity .......................................................... 28 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Camosun College is committed to the fair and just treatment of students . To this end, since 1992 the College and the Camosun College Student Society have together supported the operation of the Office of the Ombudsperson . The Ombudsperson – or Solutions Office – works for fairness at the college . The role of the Ombudsperson is to deal with inquiries, concerns, complaints, and grievances on any college matter affecting students . The Ombudsperson serves as an independent, impartial and confidential third party in support of fairness and natural justice to provide guidance to students so that they may advocate effectively on their own behalf . From September 1, 2022 – August 31, 2023, the Office was involved in 165 new cases and consultations (referred to as ‘visitors’), and two ongoing cases from the previous academic year . Through 494+ substantial contact meetings, the Office met with 164 student visitors who raised questions and concerns about virtually every College-related school and service including academic marks and decisions, finances and tuition, course management, records, interpersonal conflicts, personal issues, placements and clinicals, and accommodations . This is roughly 1% of the total registered college student headcount of 14,421 . Students accounted for 164 of the 165 new visitors . Issues were raised more often by women (68%) than men (31%); non-binary (1%) . Considering the student visitors, at least 24% were international students . While 88% were current students, 2% were graduated, 2% were applying/ accepted, 5% had dropped, 1% were on academic removal, and 2% had other student statuses . Regarding the overall subject of concerns, 68% were academic-related; 24% were non-academic, and 8% were both . While questions and concerns were heard about almost every sector of the College, those relating to the School of Arts & Science, the Registrar’s Office, and the School of Health & Human Services were the most frequently discussed . It is important to note that visitors use the Office services for a variety of reasons, including questions, brainstorming and as a sounding board, requests, seeking clarity, gathering information, concerns, and complaints . Many issues are resolved promptly once the student has the pertinent information . Visitors choose how they want to connect with the Ombudsperson . For initial meetings, 31% of visitors prefer telephone, 26% MS Teams video, and 25% email . It is worth noting that the visitor preference for in-person meetings remained low (13%), even though all COVID-19 restrictions had ended . Office of the Ombudsperson, Camosun College | Annual Report, September 1, 2022 – August 31, 2023 | 1 The outcomes of consultations and cases include resolved (65% or 109 cases), no contact after 1 month / outcome unknown (28% or 47 cases), partially resolved (3% or 5 ca

FAQs

What is the Ombudsperson’s purpose at Camosun College?

The Ombudsperson works for fairness and natural justice by addressing inquiries, concerns, complaints and grievances on college matters affecting students. The role is independent, impartial and confidential, providing guidance so students can advocate effectively for themselves.

How many new cases and consultations were handled during the reporting period?

From September 1, 2022 to August 31, 2023, the Office was involved in 165 new cases and consultations, plus two ongoing cases from the previous academic year.

What kinds of outcomes resulted from consultations and cases?

Outcomes included resolved (65%), no contact after 1 month/outcome unknown (28%), partially resolved (3%), not resolved (3%), and pending/in process (1%). The report also describes multiple action categories used to address concerns.

Oct 3, 2026

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