I’m going to really date myself here. Back in the 1970s and 1980s, a series of commercials for Memorex tapes asked the question, “Is it live…or is it Memorex?” See, there used to be audio and video cassette tapes that you could use to record music and video, respectively. The commercials were supposed to convince consumers that Memorex’s tapes were of such high quality that sound…

  I’m always looking for ways to improve, whether it’s as an ombuds, mediator, instructor, or writer. So when someone suggested that taking an improv class could help sharpen my presentation and facilitation skills, I signed up. Now, about six weeks into an eight-week course, I have come to the realization that they were right, it has helped—just in ways that I never suspected it would. I…

  It’s that time of the summer—Fall semester is almost here. Teaching faculty, those who support them, and students are getting ready for classes. Some are looking forward to their return to campus; some never left. The important thing, though, is that the hopeful scent of preparation hangs in the air. Just framing this post has gotten me thinking about the diversity of experience at UNLV…

  One of my favorite things to do as UNLV’s Ombuds is to lead interactive workshops. Our office offers over a dozen different workshops on a variety of topics relating to communication and conflict resolution.  As the headline implies, these workshops are designed to help participants develop interpersonal skills in a way that is interactive and, hopefully, interesting…

  We are now halfway through 2023. Let that sink in. Things have certainly been moving at a galloping pace at the Ombuds Office. Luckily, Program Manager Tifara Rachal and I have taken a moment or two to put together a report chronicling the office’s activities during the past three months. It is a timely sequel to the First Quarter Report, which charted our work from January to March. The…

  We’ve all seen clips of adults melting down in public—screaming, shouting profanities, and otherwise acting disgracefully. If we’re honest, there’s a healthy serving of smug superiority involved, as we tell ourselves that with our level of self-control, we would never make such a spectacle of ourselves. But maybe the question we should ask is what would drive us, or someone else, to have…

  In my most recent post, I talked a little about why I am shadowing folks around UNLV. I find immersing myself in other peoples’ workplace realities intellectually stimulating (there’s something invigorating about knowing with absolute certainty that you have the least relevant knowledge in the immediate area). What’s more, it helps me to better understand what they are doing and why they…

  One of the best things about working in the Ombuds Office is getting to know a variety of people doing a many of jobs and expanding knowledge in different ways. I continue to be amazed by the sheer diversity of talents in the UNLV community. Every day, people are doing their part to make this an institution that lives up to its promises. Of course, often when I talk to someone, they aren…

  When I mention my job (UNLV’s Ombuds, if you didn’t already know), I get a lot of questions, mostly about what I do and how. But there’s one question I rarely get asked, either because people already know the answer or they’re too polite: why do we have an ombuds in the first place? If they asked, I could give a boilerplate answer: that the ombuds, by listening, discussing options, and…

  Almost a month ago (how time flies!), a speaker at the International Ombuds Association annual conference said something that stuck with me: conflict is driven by unmet expectations. I had never considered it that way before, but it does explain many of the conflicts that I see as an ombuds. Many of the problems I see are, at their root, begin with unvoiced expectations and spiral…

  One quarter of 2023 is in the books. Let that sink in for a moment. In another three months, half the year will be gone, with so much yet to do. For better or worse, I have a quarterly report to help quantify just how much I’ve done (or haven’t done) on a tri-monthly basis. All of which is my way of inviting you to take a few minutes with me while I share what we have been up to in the…

  Here’s the scene: you are about a month into a new relationship. You and your partner are strolling down a moonlit beach, antiquing in the Left Bank, striding toward the peak of Mt. Whitney, or doing whatever you think would be an intense bonding activity. Honestly, it can just be sitting at home on your couch, but since it costs as much to imagine an exotic locale as a pedestrian one, I…