Neal Powless, a three-time All-American lacrosse player, plans to use his experiences as a coach and a father to inform his work as Syracuse University’s first ombudsperson.

Powless is a father of four and coach to the Dutch national lacrosse team. He now mediates conflicts between graduate students, faculty and staff through his new position in Syracuse University’s Office of University Ombuds.

The role of the ombuds is to provide neutral, independent and confidential conflict resolution, but the office could also be used as a resource for any student, staff or faculty member who has a problem, he said. That problem could be a misunderstanding about a grade, a peer-to-peer issue or sending a professional email.

Patience and listening are the most important traits to have as an ombuds and a parent, he said. Having a son with a disability has taught Powless to remain patient, calm and understanding, as well as how to incorporate inclusive thinking into his work.

Coaching prepared him to help people of different backgrounds and personalities work toward a common goal, Powless said. He has also worked with indigenous healers to understand how human emotion is connected to behavior.

“Everyone who walks in this door has just as an important voice as everyone else that walks in the door,” Powless said. “It doesn’t matter what their title is. I’m going to give them my ear and my full attention.”

The office has an informal structure, and confidentiality is of the utmost importance, Powless said. If a person wants to come in and only talk, he said he will listen and provide possible solutions.

“There’s always choice and there’s always option,” he said.

Powless was hired as the ombuds in January. But he’s worked at SU for years. He has been involved at the university since 2004, starting when he was a graduate student studying school counseling.

Ombudsperson Neal Powless spoke at a Graduate Student Organization meeting on Wednesday.  Dan Lyon | Assistant Photo Editor

Since then, Powless has worked as a university career counselor and the assistant director of the Native Student Program. He now studies indigenous imagery as a doctorate student in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.

Born and raised in the Onondaga Nation, Powless’ native name means “His voice is heard among the people and he brings a message.”

“I get the unique opportunity to be an ear to the people,” Powless said. “And that means living to my name to bring a message, to bring an understanding of the patterns of what’s going on at the university.”

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The Office of University Ombuds was established last year following recommendations from the University Senate Committee on Women’s Concerns and the Chancellor’s Workgroup on Diversity and Inclusion. Samuel Clemence, the office’s former interim director, said in December that the office had received more than 60 cases since February 2018.

Powless, when asked by The Daily Orange, did not say how many people have sought help from the office since he took over as director.

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Undergraduate students at SU cannot go to the Office of the Ombuds for conflict mediation. They can seek conflict resolution help from the Office of Student Assistance, the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities, as well as through the Student Grievance Processes.

The office currently only employs Powless and one support staffer, he said, but that could change in the future, if SU sees fit.

“It’s an evolution,” Powless said. “And the beauty of being the first is that I get to design what the office will become in accordance with the International Ombuds Association criteria, while at the same time making it uniquely Syracuse.”

Published on February 20, 2019 at 9:22 pm

Contact Kennedy: krose100@syr.edu | @KennedyRose001