Yes! I, too, have late night thoughts. Often, it is about a whole lot of random things that usually don’t make any sense. However, the one tonight relates to my role as an Ombuds.
What the heck is an Ombuds? I’m supposed to maintain equity and fairness within the CUS, mediate things, console students and make sure they’re okay. But no one even knows who I am. I have a couple initiatives that I will be promoting starting tomorrow - which I am completely excited about. It actually includes this blog as well. I love the perks, the people within the organization - but sometimes being in such a middle-man position it can feel a bit lonely.
As Ombuds, you have no vote. And I wish I had one, but I’m impartial - sometimes I feel like without a vote, I feel, essentially that my opinion doesn’t matter. It’s tough, but this role has it’s upsides too. I love being able to help people, even if it’s the little things like supporting them, and being on the sidelines. Even as someone who supposedly is holding an important role, you can feel completely out of place. I feel super disconnected from the team - it’s not because I’m not trying, but I feel like the team doesn’t even know what I do, which makes me, even as a person overall, easily forgotten.
With such a strong team this year, being an extreme introvert is crazy hard. I love to meet people, but it’s hard when there’s a lot of attention on me. When I have to give a report of what I did for my team, I feel anxious, I get scared because my report in all honesty, is not as extensive, impressive and amazing as the other execs. My passion project isn’t nearly *as* cool as the other board members. I’m going off on a tangent, but for those who have no idea what an Ombuds is, and it sounds completely like a weird, maybe even useless role. Chances are, I’ve probably thought that already too. But it’s not completely useless because everyone has a different mindset when it comes to fairness, and what constitutes of an equitable choice. People are often times biased when they make their decisions, and that’s what an Ombuds is there for. To catch them, and to prevent those situations from occurring.
TL;DR - Late night thoughts on being Ombuds, fun things come with price, feels disconnected from team, but it’s super rewarding and I’m learning how to make more of an impact for my team and for the uni.
