Profiles of Student Conflict Resolvers
Students have been active participants in the creationn
of important and longstanding conflict resolution services on
many campuses. In this section of the site, we will provide a
rotating collection of mini-profiles of student projects, and
occasionally profiles of specific individuals. Three student run
projects are featured now. For a complete list of campus mediation
programs, check out the Campus
Mediation Program Directory.
Mediation Program
-- Northeastern University
 Northeastern
University recognizes that conflict is an inevitable and important
part of university life. The University Judicial Affairs staff
also knows that the outcome of conflict is based primarily on
the way people deal with conflict individually and collectively.
Northeastern Universitiy relies on its student Mediation
Program to help students find long-lasting agreements in a
fair, efficient and respectful way.
The Mediation Program is open to all students who
want to mediate their conflicts. Typical cases involve those between
roommates, neighbors, group project members and romantic partners.
The Mediation Program will not mediate cases involving abuse,
drugs, sexual assault or academic disputes. Mediators are students
(some staff members are also involved) who volunteer their time.
All mediators have been through a 20-hour training program, and
receive additional training in areas such as gender roles and
issues, problem-solving, conflict resolution and effective communication
and interpersonal skills.
University Dispute Resolution Project
-- George Mason University
Graduate students from the Institute for Conflict
Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University established
the University Dispute Resolution Project (UDRP) in 1994. The
goal of the organization was to help members of the GMU community
deal effectively with interpersonal, intergroup and organizational
conflicts. UDRP was awarded the “Rookie of the Year”
award for new student organizations early in its history. UDRP
has continued to build on the goal of its founders and is currently
a successful and strong campus organization. Student volunteers
with diverse backgrounds lead the organization.
UDRP works to give students skills that will help
them view conflict as a healthy and rewarding experience. This
is done through proactive and situation-responsive conflict resolution
services such as mediation, facilitation, dialogue and conflict
resolution training. All services are free to GMU students, staff
and faculty.
UDRP strives to create new initiatives in order
to respond to the needs of the community. For example, in 2000
the UDRP Dialogue Project was created. UDRP is proud of its history
and looks forward to providing more services to the GMU community
in the future.
Student Mediation Services
-- University of Michigan
A student founded Student Mediation Services (SMS)
in 1995 with the goal of providing University of Michigan students
with the highest quality mediation services available at no cost.
SMS is now a student group run by elected leadership and funded
from various parts of the University.
The primary service of SMS is mediation for student
disputes, although mediations are also performed in the Ann Arbor
community. The organization trains its mediators using a 30-hour
program based on the developing professional standard. Trainings
are free and take place once per semester. SMS also provides communication
and dispute resolution training to other members of the community,
such as Student Housing staff and local schools.
|
