Ombuds Office

Ombuds@purchase.edu
Ph:  914-251-6520
fax: 914 251-6526
Student Services Building, Room 217

What is an Ombudsperson? How can the Ombudsperson help me?

The Ombudsperson assists students in several capacities including helping students navigate the campus conduct system, assisting students who are experiencing difficulties using administrative offices and helping students negotiate the complicated world of higher education finance.

The Ombudsperson will:

• Listen non-judgmentally and discuss questions, issues and concerns
• Help evaluate options
• Explain college policies and procedures
• Make appropriate referrals when necessary
• Empower students to address their concerns and problems
• Bring patterns of problems/complaints to campus administrators

The Ombudsperson will not:

• Make administrative decisions for Purchase College
• Judge or assign guilt/innocence to those accused of breaking the community standards of conduct
• Give legal advice
• Process work orders on campus residence repairs
• Get involved in grade disputes

Sometimes a student just doesn’t know where to go for certain of kinds help. Typical issues our Ombudsperson assists students with are:  1) A student has spoken with the offices of financial aid and students accounts but still cannot meet the costs of college. 2) A student has been accused of breaking the college’s code of conduct and needs an objective professional outside the conduct process to speak with for advice. 3) A student is treated poorly by a college employee and wants to formally bring it to the attention of college administration.

Our Ombudsperson, Paul Nicholson has a Masters degree in counseling and has been assisting students at Purchase College since 1991.