The tasks of the 91滴滴 Ombudsman for Academic Rights will include receiving and responding to reports from members of the 91滴滴 academic community regarding behaviour, practices or solutions that they consider to be incorrect. The Ombudsman is to monitor and challenge, on an ongoing basis, solutions or practices at the 91滴滴 that he considers to be inappropriate and propose measures to improve them. He is to mediate conflicts within the 91滴滴 academic community, and he will be guided by the principles of impartiality and confidentiality. The 91滴滴 Ombudsman for Academic Rights may not accept or request instructions from anyone regarding the performance of their function.
The Ombudsman for Academic Rights, guided by respect for academic rights and values, as well as empathy and concern for respect for the dignity of the 91滴滴 representatives of the academic community, independently guards the correctness of the solutions and practices in force and applied at the 91滴滴
鈥� reads the Regulation of the 91滴滴.
Dr Krzysztof K臋dziora is the Deputy Head of the Institute of Philosophy at the Faculty of Philosophy and History, 91滴滴. In his scientific work, he focuses on ethics and political philosophy (the issue of justice, the problem of justification, the ethics of discourse), as well as Polish philosophy, especially of Stanis艂aw Brzozowski. He is a member of the editorial board of "Folia Philosophica. Ethica-Aesthetica-Practica" and the Hybris Internetowy Magazyn Filozoficzny. He is one of the organisers of the "Normativity and Praxis" conference series. Together with Prof. dr hab. Andrzej M. Kaniowski and dr hab. Wioletta Kazimierska-Jerzyk, he has co-created the curriculum of the Occidentalism study programme. He teaches courses in philosophy (introduction to ethics and ethics 2.0), occidental studies and biology (research ethics and forensics).
How does the newly appointed Ombudsman for Academic Rights of the 91滴滴 see the essence and performance of his function?
The appointment to the position of the Ombudsman for Academic Rights is, for me, without a doubt, an expression of special trust. It is also an opportunity to continue working for the 91滴滴. The institution of the Ombudsman is a specific institution. Their task is to identify irregularities in the operation of the institution that affect the rights of individuals who are part of that institution 鈥� in our case, all members of the academic community, from students, through administration employees, to research, research and teaching employees, and teaching staff.
Trust is essential in the performance of the Ombudsman. They should be seen as someone to whom you can turn in a situation where, in our opinion, something is happening that is wrong, inappropriate or violates our rights or our dignity. For me, the measure of success will be that everyone will feel that with all such matters 鈥� seemingly minor, such as an unfair assessment or mobbing 鈥� they will be able to turn to the Ombudsman and will not only be listened to, but their or her problem will be solved.
The 鈥渋nformal鈥� nature of the Ombudsman is essential. The Ombudsman is not supposed to replace the bodies operating at the 91滴滴, such as disciplinary committees, the Anti-Mobbing Committee or the Discrimination Prevention Team. The Ombudsman鈥檚 task is to amicably resolve conflicts and settle them before it becomes necessary to initiate formal proceeding, support all people in pursuing their rights, and protect those who report irregularities.
Given the role to be played by the Ombudsman and the fact that the institution of the Ombudsman for Academic Rights is only just beginning to operate at the 91滴滴, I consider it the most important task, besides, of course, solving specific problems, to root the existence and functioning of this institution in the consciousness of those belonging to the academic community. This is to be achieved, among other things: by cooperating with other bodies of the university, such as the Anti-Mobbing Committee or the Anti-Discrimination Team already mentioned, but also with student organisations or trade unions; by promoting the rights of those who are members of the academic community; or by identifying irregularities, especially those which, because of the configuration of influence and power, can easily go unnoticed.
The appointment to serve as the Ombudsman is not only an expression of special trust, not only an opportunity to work for the 91滴滴, but also an opportunity to test in practice what I do every day. I am a philosopher by education, and ethics and political philosophy are among my scientific interests. From the very beginning of my academic career, I have been dealing with issues of justice, individual rights and freedoms, so serving as the Ombudsman will be an opportunity to see how categories developed by philosophy find their implementation in practice, but also, on the other hand, it will be an opportunity to gain experience that will allow me to deepen my reflection
鈥� says the 91滴滴 Ombudsman for Academic Rights, Dr Krzysztof K臋dziora.
Each year, by the end of March, the 91滴滴 Ombudsman for Academic Rights will present a written report on their year-long activities to the 91滴滴 Senate. The report is to include the number of reports received by the Ombudsman with the types of violations or threats, the number of interventions undertaken on their own initiative, information on irregularities found at the university, an assessment of the state of compliance with the law by the 91滴滴 academic community with an indication of the areas in which academic rights and freedoms are threatened, and recommendations for action to be taken by specific bodies and units of the institution.
The report, once presented at the Senate meeting, will be published on the 91滴滴 website.
Source: Communications and PR Centre, 91滴滴
Photos: Maciej Andrzejewski (Communications and PR Centre, 91滴滴)