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The Office of the University Ombuds revealed that racial, disability and gender bias were trends on Syracuse University’s campus.

On Friday, the office released its 2020-21 report, detailing how employees and graduate students faced bias and bullying in work settings on campus. The report echoed concerns from a January report stating that sexism, racism and fear of retaliation are serious workplace concerns at SU. 

The ombuds acts similarly to a human resources office for university faculty, staff and graduate students. The office, run by University Ombuds Neal Powless, is an independent resource for employees to report and express concerns to the university without facing judgment for retaliation from the university. The office was created following recommendations from the University Senate’s Committee on Women’s Concerns in 2016, but it was not established until 2018, nearly two years later. 

From July 2020 to June 2021, the university ombuds worked on 207 cases, with employment and workplace concerns making up 36% of those cases. Concerns about policies and procedures made up 24% of cases, and 14% of cases focused on concerns surrounding discrimination and incivility. In May, faculty raised concerns about the discrimination they face at SU, saying it is “a profound problem.” 

There were significantly more cases raised by women compared to men, with 62% of cases being raised by women.

The ombuds reported 248 individual meetings in the year and 415 people reached through the cases. About 76% of cases were faculty and staff, and 15% were graduate students. 

The ombuds cited a rise in cases and concerns about bullying from hierarchical structures and peer interactions. One-fifth of the systemic categories flagged in these concerns involved career progression and development while 18% involved peer and colleague relationships. 

The office said this data suggests there is an “ issue with how individuals continue to address each other in a detrimental way.” 

Furthermore, 16% of systemic categories that showed up in cases were issues of evaluative relationships. And 15% of cases were concerned about values, ethics and standards. 

“We can show compassion through an ability to adapt, an openness to listen and to learn from others’ experiences, a willingness to accept change, and a desire to communicate with civility,” the university ombuds said in the report. “Sometimes this means taking a moment to reflect before lashing out at others in a detrimental or demeaning way.”

Published on November 13, 2021 at 11:50 pm

Contact Karoline: kaleonar@syr.edu