Ombudsperson for Students

KU Leuven has appointed an ombudsperson to deal with certain kinds of unacceptable behaviour within the university community. The duty of the ombudsperson is to assist students who are victims of this type of behaviour. The ideal outcome is to stop the unwanted behaviour without any negative consequences for the victim.

Bullying refers to words or gestures that threaten a person’s dignity or create a hostile or damaging environment. This might be systematic emotional abuse, but should not be confused with a bilateral conflict or friendly teasing.

Violence means verbally or physically harassing, threatening or attacking others.

Sexual harassment is any unwanted physical, verbal or non-verbal behaviour of a sexual kind or based on gender, harming someone’s dignity.

People are often hesitant about consulting an ombudsperson. Often, inappropriate behaviour is very subtle, so nobody mentions it. However, you can count on the full support of the ombudsperson.
All information will be handled in the strictest confidence and you can choose to stay anonymous. The ombuds will not take any action without your consent.
If an informal approach does not produce a satisfying result, the ombudsperson will evaluate the opportunity of lodging a formal complaint with the vice rector of Student affairs, who will undertake a neutral investigation. Accuser and accused will be interviewed and conclusions will be drawn.
If an accused is found guilty, he or she will be submitted to an appropriate sanction.

Consultations

Tuesdays from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon 

Contact

Marleen Gheldof 
Psychotherapeutic Centre
Van Dalecollege, Naamsestraat 80 postbus 5415, 3000 Leuven
Tel. +32 16 32 43 43 - Fax +32 16 32 43 67