Halfway Through: A Moment to Reflect, Reset, and Reach Out

As I glance out my window today, I see people walking. Some are sitting at tables outside the bookstore. Others move across campus in tour groups. I hear laughter. The day is sunny, leaning away from winter’s chill.

To me, these are signs that Spring Break is fast approaching.

Yes, mid-term is here.

Perhaps this turn in the seasons and semester offers us a moment to pause, reflect, and recalibrate.

Consider this: What if we took some time in the coming weeks for self-assessment? Questions like these can surface insights that matter for the remainder of the spring term:

What’s working?

Where am I stuck?

What conversations am I avoiding?

The University Ombuds offers a confidential, informal, independent, and impartial space where faculty and staff can reflect on these questions with a conversation partner. Many people discover the Ombuds when situations feel urgent, and that is certainly an appropriate time to request a confidential conversation.

The Ombuds is also available for those moments when you’re not sure whether there is “a problem,” or when you want to take constructive steps before frustrations harden or misunderstandings grow.

What kinds of issues can you bring to the Ombuds? The Ombuds often serves as a neutral sounding board for work-related concerns, such as workload pressures, performance reviews, communication challenges, or interpersonal tensions. In dialogue with the ombuds, you might brainstorm approaches for giving and receiving feedback, think through options for navigating conflict, or clarify next steps. In some cases, when all parties are willing, the Ombuds also facilitates difficult conversations.

Mid-semester gives many people on our campus the chance to take a breath. If a check-in would help make the rest of your semester more manageable, the Ombuds is here to listen.