PEER MEDIATION PROGRAM STANDARDS OF PRACTICE

Ethical Concerns: The Peer Mediator and Peer Mediation Program/Community

1. To keep an open mind, an intellectual impartiality. To clearly formulate issues, not conclusions.
2. To give a full, best effort to each case: good faith.
3. To make a principled decision to decline or withdraw from a case if you know the parties and/ore if you feel you cannot mediate it in good faith. There is further responsibility to look for any reasonable probability of bias or other interference occurring due to the nature of the case.
4. To represent the Peer Mediation Program and the mediation process competently and professionally.
   1. Become and remain proficient in the skills of mediation.
   2. Accept and follow through efficiently on all assigned cases.
   3. Maintain loyalty to the process.
   4. Maintain the spirit as well as the appearance of confidentiality and honesty.
5. To provide the peer mediation service as volunteer, not amenable to payoffs, outside entrepreneurship, etc.
6. To represent the Peer Mediation Program in a professional manner when talking to individuals, and to direct members of the press to the program coordinator for any and all information.

Ethical Concerns: the Mediator and the Parties

1. To encourage but not manipulate or coerce settlement. Agreement is up to the parties.
2. To give each party a fair hearing.
   1. Facilitating, supporting communication.
   2. Maintaining and defending the rights of each party to be heard.
   3. Listening: There is frequently real virtue in not speaking.
3. To keep confidences unless a party gives permission to share the information or the law demands a nonconfidential response.
   1. Being candid, sincere in responses.
   2. Not exposing unnecessarily weaknesses or factors extraneous to the negotiation.
4. To respect parties' rights to disagree and to work out their own result or their right not to work out a result.
5. To refuse to mediate a case if it becomes apparent that there has been a pattern of repeated domestic violence or intimidation in an interpersonal relationship, and to suspend mediation if it becomes apparent in the course of the mediation session itself.

PEER MEDIATION PROGRAM CODE OF CONDUCT

Policy for Peer Mediators

Mediators have one of the most important roles on campus: assisting others in resolving the disputes that prevent peaceful coexistence. They are often entrusted with confidential and highly sensitive information. Therefore, they must be carefully selected, trained and evaluated, and held to the highest standards of honesty, good faith and sound judgment. The following policies address many crucial concerns.

Confidentiality

All matters handled by, or referred to, the Peer Mediation Program are confidential. All information regarding people who use, request the use of, or are referred to the program must be treated as absolutely private and highly sensitive. Peer Mediators may not divulge any such information to anyone outside the program in any way. This policy applies to all current and former peer mediators and should be enforced rigorously.

Conflicts of Interest

In order to ensure the fairest possible dispute resolution system, peer mediators are required to excuse themselves from cases assigned to them when a conflict of interest is present, or when the appearance of a conflict is present. It is impossible to describe every possible conflict of interest, so mediators are advised to request a replacement if they have any doubt about the actual or apparent impartiality of their work. Several examples of cases in which a conflict of interest exists include: a case involving a roommate of the mediator, a case involving a boyfriend or girlfriend of the peer mediator, or a case involving an athletic teammate, etc.

The single most important source of mediation case referrals is the student body. Peer Mediators have the crucial responsibility of providing guidance to students involved in disputes who could make use of the program. Naturally, a peer mediator who assists a student in self-referral of a case could not mediate that case. However, the peer mediator may assist the student in preparing the case for mediation by recommending the process to the student, explaining the process to the student and helping to prepare the mediation referral form.

Compliance with University Policies and Responsibilities

Peer Mediators are expected to maintain the highest standards of conduct and reputation. Peer Mediators who fail to comply with expectations of the mediation community will be removed from the roster of peer mediators. Because the position of peer mediator is one of great trust, the Peer Mediation Program Coordinator has broad latitude in determining whether the conduct of a peer mediator disqualifies that peer mediator from continued service.

PEER MEDIATION PROGRAM TRAINING

Basic Mediation Training Course

FMST399M Independent Study: Principles and Practices of Mediation; (3 credits) Grade Method: REG/P-F/AUD.

Specialized Mediation Training Course

FMST498M Special Topics: Theory and Techniques of Family Mediation; (3 credits) Grade Method: REG/P-F/AUD. Also offered as FMST647.