Peace Institute > Conflict Resolution > UH Mediation Services
UH Mediation Services
What is mediation?
UH is a diverse community of people who will always have disputes, conflicts, misunderstandings and other problems with each other. Mediation is one way to help resolve such problems. For example:
A freshman student in an introductory course found that she and her female friends all thought their professor was favoring male students in the class discussions and the grades given to papers. However the professor seemed "cold," was very busy, so they were hesitant to "confront" him. They called the mediation service who contacted the professor. It turned out he was willing to sit down with the students and discuss the matter. The mediation service arranged for two trained mediators, one a faculty member and the other a student, to meet with the students and professor, first separately, and then together. They met for almost two hours in a private room on campus. During the meeting the "air was cleared" and both the professor and students learned how to make the class more comfortable and the learning more effective.
Since the early 1980s more and more people in Hawaii and on the UH campus have been using mediation to try to resolve interpersonal problems. Trained mediators on campus have helped resolve:
- Academic differences between professors, which have become personal and disrupt the functioning of a department.
- Communication problems between roommates in the dorms
- Conflicts and misunderstandings between graduate students and their faculty advisors and committees.
- Grievances over grades between students and GTA's or faculty
These and many other problems may be resolved through mediation. If you have problems or know of problems for which mediation might be helpful, this free and confidential service will advise and give you information about other alternatives. We work closely with the Academic Grievance Committee, the Dean of Students, other Administrators, the Sexual Harassment Counselor and other groups on campus.
If after hearing more about if from one of our faculty or student mediators you wish to try mediation we will discuss it with those involved and explain the mediation process. If they are willing to try it we will set up a meeting and select suitable mediators from our list of faculty, students and other UH employees who are trained and experienced.
How to use the UH Mediation Service
Mediation is an informal, private, voluntary process. It can help members of the UH family who have grievances and disagreements to communicate more effectively and negotiate a mutually satisfactory solution.
What disputes and issues can be mediated?
People in disputes are often angry and frustrated and do not think that mediation, or anything else, will help. Our clients are often surprised when the situation improves or is resolved through mediation because virtually any problem at UH can be improved with mediated discussion, better communication and effective negotiation. If everyone is willing, or can be persuaded to try to discuss the problems with skilled UH mediators, many can be resolved to everyone's satisfaction.
What about important principles and basic rights?
Many think that mediation forces compromise in order to settle disputes. This is not true with the UH Mediation Service. Our mediators empower people, help all sides to know their rights and be creative in finding solutions. We help them negotiate effectively. If the people decided that compromise may be in their best interest, the UH mediators will encourage them to consider the advantages or disadvantages of possible solutions by consulting counselors, lawyers, advocates or friends between sessions.
What if one side is more "powerful" than the other side?
UH mediators are sensitive to the concern that the powerful can dominate a mediation and have developed methods to reduce the effects of power differences. Advocates can be used to help people in a mediation. Separate meetings are used if people are not comfortable "confronting" each other. UH Mediators ensure that everyone has a chance to weigh the value of alternative solutions to their needs and rights before deciding on a settlement.
What if the UH administration has a role in the dispute?
UH mediation is not "one size fits all." It can be designed to compliment formal administrative processes and also meet the unique needs of people and situations. Some disputes and grievances within the UH community involved formal student, employee, or faculty rights and responsibilities. UH administrative processes and remedies should be used to resolve these issues.
However academic community disputes usually involve more than a single issue. In a close community such as a student residence or academic department, people can often get caught up in the strong feelings and alignments which unmanaged conflict creates.
Mediation has helped resolve differences which may have affected the continuing relationship between undergraduate students and their teachers, graduate students and their committees, faculty members and their colleagues.
Mediation makes it possible, if all agree, to identify and bring together all the stakeholders in the wider problem to try for a comprehensive and lasting settlement. When UH policies are involved, representatives of the administration can be part of problem solving discussions and can approve settlements which involve the law of UH policy.
Finally even when a formal process, such as the academic grievance committee has made a ruling, mediation has been helpful in implementing the ruling in a collaborative manner so that additional conflicts are not created.
Who are the mediators?
Faculty, graduate students and undergraduate students from many fields are trained and experienced in UH mediation. Our mediators are bilingual in several languages and reflect the age, gender, and ethnic distributions on campus. They are broadly representative of the UH faculty and have extensive experience mediating disputes in the academic community.
How does mediation work?
If a person wishes to try mediation and phones us, we will contact the other people involved. If they agree to try it we will schedule the first meeting and assign the appropriate team of mediators. The meeting, held with the individuals first, are private and confidential. If and when all sides are ready to meet and discuss the issues we conduct a meeting in which everyone has an appropriate opportunity to describe their perceptions of the situation and offer solutions for consideration by others.
Confidentiality: EVERYTHING THAT OCCURS IN A MEDIATION IS CONFIDENTIAL AND IS NOT DIVULGED OUTSIDE OF THE MEDIATION WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE PARTIES.
Appropriate/Alternative Resolution Methods for Managing and Preventing Disputes Within the University
Mediation (options)
Helping people to come to their own voluntary agreement
- Traditional version: Face to face private discussions between the disputants (2 or more) managed by an impartial mediator over one or more sessions;
- Traditional Version: but with helpers/advocates in (and between) mediation sessions;
- Shuttle mediation: with parties not in direct contact. Mediator talks (phone, e-mail, face-to-face) separately with parties;
- Preparations for mediation: Coaching disputants how to communicate and negotiate more effectively;
- Mediation assessment interviews with disputants (and others with permission) on the appropriateness of some version of mediation at the moment or in the future;
- Mediation in tandem with other administrative processes;
- Mediation to help restore working relationships after administrative processes.
Group Facilitation (options)
Helping groups better manage decision-making/conflict resolution
- Tradition version is managing meetings;
- Helping to design more effective group processes for Departments, Students Groups, Committees;
- Consulting/coaching with deans, chairs, student leaders on analyzing and managing group problems;
- Teambuilding Workshops to build capacity for the group to do their work together effectively and efficiently;
- Reorganizing/Consolidation of UH Units by designing and assisting in managing group processes
Teaching and Training (options)
Helping people to communicate/negotiate more effectively
- Traditional version, classes on negotiation, communication, mediation and grievance system design;
- Learning Communities for Freshmen (in development);
- Special trainings for specific groups (incoming chairs, residence leaders, student mediators, etc.)
- Graduate Certificate in conflict management and resolution (in development);
- Individual consulting with faculty members, chairs, directors, etc.
