USC appoint student ombudsman

Phil Davison has joined the University of the Sunshine Coast as its new student ombudsman. Davison has almost 20 years of experience in dispute resolution. He has worked as a complaints manager for the Commonwealth Human Rights Commission and the Anti-discrimination Commission of Queensland. He also managed the Dispute Resolution Service for the Residential Tenancy Authority. He currently runs his own private counselling/mediation business in Brisbane and said part of his role is to advise staff and students on how to resolve complaints, “But I am also there to conduct investigations should they not get resolved at the local level,” he said. USC’s Student Services director Dr Eva-Marie Seeto said the ombudsman’s role was to remain impartial. “The ombudsman provides neutral and confidential dispute resolution support to students and is an independent investigator of student complaints,” she said. Seeto said part of the role is to make recommendations to the university regarding policies that protect and promote rights of students and minimise conflict and their escalation to external agencies or litigation.