Welcome to the Brooklyn College Division of Student Affairs

Ombudsperson's Office

Location: 2113 Boylan Hall
Phone: (718) 951-5352
Website: http://students.brooklyn.cuny.edu/ems

The Ombudsperson's Office seeks to ensure the responsiveness of the college to an individual's concern when difficulties arise within the college community. The Ombudsperson's Office also provides oversight for the student-operated Information Booth program, the SERVA Volunteer Registry, and the T.O.P. mini-orientation program.

The student ombudsperson at Brooklyn College is an administrator in the Office of the Dean of Student Affairs whose job is to assist all students who are having difficulty gaining access to or help from college services and programs for which they are eligible. The ombudsperson provides students with information relevant to their situation, discusses options, makes referrals, and when necessary, personally contacts the appropriate individuals.

The ombudsperson functions both for the individual student and for the college by working to insure that the college is responsive to its primary constituent, the student. As a neutral third party, the ombudsperon's role is not to find fault, but to insure responsiveness and to seek improvement.

To get help or simply to ask for information, contact Brooklyn College's student ombudsperson, Dr. Jacqueline Williams, at (718) 951-5352, or drop by the Office of the Dean for Student Life, 2113 Boylan Hall, to arrange an appointment, Monday to Friday. Evening appointments are available.

When seeking help, the student ombudsperson recommends that you:

Keep a written record of the offices or departments where you went for help, the dates of your visits, and the names of the individuals with whom you spoke about the issue.
Make copies of all relevant paperwork.
Think about what you want to accomplish and what you are prepared to do to obtain your goal.
Read the Brooklyn College Student Handbook or the Brooklyn College Bulletin regarding your rights and the college's requirements.
Review your department's guidelines since regulations and practices may have changed over time.