How to make a consultation?

Any student, lecturer or  member of the administrative and services staff who has a problem and does not know how to solve it, can make a consultation either by phone, letter, fax, or e-mail or can go in person to the Office (see How to contact the Office).

How to present a complaint?

All claims, whether individual or collective, must be presented by the interested party or parties in writing, giving the reasons for the claim; personal data, the University sector to which the claimant belongs, home address, e-mail address and telephone number must also be included so that the claimant can be notified. 

In addition to a clear statement of the grounds on which the claim is based, it is also important to provide details of prior steps taken in relation with the matter that has led to the claim being made.

Claims must be received in the University Ombudsman’s Office either by letter, e-mail, fax, or handed in personally.

If you wish to send in a claim electronically, you can use the complaint form.

What happens once the complaint has been sent in?

First of all, acknowledgement of receipt is given and a decision is taken whether or not to admit the claim. To do this, the document is checked to ascertain that all the pertinent data are included and that the issue raised is within the competence of the University Ombudsman, and a first assessment is made to confirm or clarify the points alleged in the claim.

Then the  affected individual or body is informed so that he or they may present allegations, provide any documents deemed necessary, or appear in person to give more information. From that moment on, the University Ombudsman can adopt any measures of enquiry that he considers necessary in order to clarify the facts.

What final courses of action does the University Ombudsman have  regarding a specific complaint?  

The University Ombudsman has several options:  

• He can send the claim elsewhere, because the matter does not fall within his competence
• He can dismiss the claim and file it through lack of grounds
• He can advise the claimant as to the steps to be taken, whenever the matter can still be settled through channels contemplated in the university regulations, and follow it up until the case is resolved
• He can make a recommendation with a  specific proposal for the case in question, with the parties involved being informed of this recommendation. These  recommendations are included in the annual report and are followed up by the University Ombudsman’s Office, to check whether or not they have been acted on
• If the University Ombudsman’s position is partially favourable to the claim and if it is more effective for the claimant to accept an intermediate solution, he can negotiate with the claimant and the Body in question in order to reach an agreement that will resolve the matter in  a way that is satisfactory for both parties.