Student Ombuds

Under article 40 of the IPVC Statutes, the Student Ombuds’ mission is to “defend students’ rights and legitimate interests by developing actions in conjunction with the student associations, the IPVC’s bodies and services, and all the Institute’s schools.”

The Student Ombuds is responsible for defending and promoting them while observing the inalienable principles of independence, impartiality, and confidentiality.

IPVC Student Ombuds

Dra. Maria Flora Moreira da Silva Passos da Silva

Contacts
Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo
Provedor do Estudante
Rua Escola Industrial e Comercial de Nun’Álvares, n.º 34
4900-347 Viana do Castelo

T: +351 258 809 610 | F: +351 258 829 065
e-mail: provedordoestudante@ipvc.pt

The Student Ombuds is appointed by order of the IPVC President. Their main mission is to defend and promote IPVC students’ rights and legitimate interests, although they do not have decision-making authority.

Whenever a student exhausts the institutional resources available for resolving administrative, academic, social, or other issues, they should appeal to the Student Ombuds.

As mediator of conflicting parties, the Ombuds is responsible for the following:

• Creating an environment for open, frank, informal, and impartial dialogue that reassures the student and ensures confidentiality
• Assessing complaints and claims and providing opinions and recommendations that may alter the situations and procedures that are infringing on the students’ rights
• Preparing an annual report for the Presidency to help develop prospective jurisprudence for the quality of the procedures and services.

The Ombuds serves as a mediator and does not have any decision-making authority. They cannot perform the following actions:

• Make decisions regarding the guilt or innocence of the conflicting parties
• Participate in formal litigation proceedings
• Annul the decisions of the statutory bodies

Aware of their rights and duties towards the institution, a student should never underestimate their ability to resolve their issues directly with the teaching staff, the program coordinator, the disciplinary group coordinator, the Councils, and the student support offices or the administration.

If the student is unable to resolve their issues in this way, they must appeal to the Ombuds in a timely manner so as to avoid unmanageable rifts with the entity involved in the conflict.

The student may schedule an interview with the IPVC Student Ombuds through the IPVC President’s Staff or via email or cell phone and agree upon a date and location with the Ombuds.

On the scheduled date, the student will arrive at IPVC Central Services, where they will be indicated to the meeting room.

If there are several requests from the same school, the Ombuds may also go to that school with the administration’s prior agreement.

After an informal conversation with the Ombuds and if there is no solution, the student must file a written claim by filling out a specific form which will include the following items:

1. The complainant’s identification: name, address, contact information, program, year, school
2. A description of the situation that they believe was an infringement of their rights and the respective intervening parties
3. An explanation of the underlying reasons as to why they feel their rights and legitimate interests have been violated
4. Signature and date