Student Advocates

This article is about the Student Advocate and how the role fits within EVE University and how they serve the general membership.

The role of the Student Advocate is to provide a voice for the student body to the Directorate and Management in a fashion much like EVE's CSM in that they filter through popular issues and concerns bringing forward those that are deemed most important. The Student Advocate also acts as mediator for when those inevitable clashes between members occur. EVE University is both large in numbers and broad in the cultural and nationality scope. When an issue arises it is the goal to bring them to a friendly resolution to allow members to continue enjoying their time in EVE University.

Student Advocates

Jaha Preynar

About the role: The Student Advocate essentially functions as a mediator, addressing issues at student level before they escalate to the point where a Director should need to get involved. They are a point of contact for the student body, acting much like EVE's CSM in that they try to filter through the popular issues and bring the important ones to the attention of the directorate. The Student Advocate can also be considered the "voice" of the students, acting on their behalf in dealings with the directorate. Have you got an issue or a complaint with someone? Then the Student Advocate is the person you should speak to.

What are the duties of the Student Advocate?

The chief responsibility of the Student Advocate is to help assure that the Uni is operating as smoothly as possible and with all members (and departments) following policies, procedures and protocols. They will:

• intercede in issues you may have with another member or staff / management member.

• monitor and moderate University chat channels and Mumble.

• provide input where needed to all the Divisions of the Uni to ensure your needs and expectations are being met.

The Student Advocate has no authority to change policy or independently act in establishing it. They can mediate disputes from a position of authority within the confines of established policy at the direction of senior management.

What to do if you have a problem or conflict.

If you have a disagreement with another Uni Member, a Member of Staff, a Manager, or even a Director that remains unresolved or can't be resolved by yourself, do not hesitate to talk to a Student Advocate.

But before you do, you should make a reasonable effort to resolve the conflict yourself. Remember EVE is a social game. There is another person behind that avatar, who like you has a goal of enjoying the game. Communicating effectively and respectfully is necessary for your success here at the Uni. Also remember that sometimes conflicts develop from simple misunderstandings or "information differentials", where you may not have the same information another member has. Directly communicating by private convo, EVE mail, or forum PM may be all that is necessary to resolve whatever conflict there is. And it's much more rewarding to build lasting relationships as well. So try that first.

If that fails:

• First, consider that if your disagreement involves a Staff Member, Manager, or Director, they may be reminding you of, or are enforcing University rules and policies and Student Advocates do not have the authority to change that policy.

• Complete the Student Advocate Contact Form outlining your concerns and the first available Student Advocate will get in contact with you to start the resolution process.

• Contact a Student Advocate via forum private message, or evemail with your concern. Your chatlogs or copies of evemails, forum PMs, or any other correspondence will help us get to a resolution quicker.

• Always talk to one of us first, as things tend to escalate quickly and often in unexpected and unpleasant ways which even more often leads to increased conflict. So please, do not discuss your conflict with others or bring it forward to other Staff, Managers, or Directors.

• Please be patient and give us some time to investigate and understand your issue.

• As a mediator, our job is to facilitate a resolution process and help both parties towards a mutually beneficial settlement of your differences. Our role is NOT to impose or force any resolution upon either of the parties nor decide any aspect or your disagreement. We are impartial and have no interest in the outcome. Your role is to earnestly participate in the process in seeking that settlement.

• You need to follow the Student Advocate's instructions during the dispute. They are designed to keep the conflict contained and prevent it from worsening and creating delays in resolution.

• All information you provide to the Student Advocate in the dispute is confidential. Communications made during the mediation process are confidential, except where it is in violation of the EULA.

We are here to help resolve conflicts between you and the other members quickly so we can all get back to enjoying the game, which is why we are here.