Completely Voluntary
Mediation is completely voluntary. You create your own solutions to your conflicts.
Lucy Katz, JD, former professor of business law and former holder of The Robert C. Wright Professorship in Business Law, Ethics and Dispute Resolution, left an indelible imprint on the Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÒÅÆ community. Her creation, along with Dr. Thomas Pelligrino, of the student peer mediation program provides mediation training and certification for students who go on to serve their peers and the University. Over the years, students have been trained and served in this important and unique role.
Take the professional training offered by the Lucy Katz Dialogue & Resolution Program and enhance your knowledge and skills in conflict resolution.
Mediation is a voluntary process in which trained unbiased mediators help others resolve conflicts. Mediators facilitate communication and helps explore new ideas. Mediation is informal and confidential. The parties to the conflict make key decisions and all final decisions about the outcome. With their mediators guidance, they create their own solutions. At any point the parties can refuse to participate or refuse a particular solution.
10 Reasons To Use Mediation
1
Completely Voluntary
Mediation is completely voluntary. You create your own solutions to your conflicts.
2
Fair & Multi-Partial
Mediation is fair and multi-partial.
3
Neutrality
The mediators remain unbiased and are trained to help resolve disputes.
4
Guidance
The mediators do not impose decisions, but rather helps parties find their own solutions.
5
Confidentiality
Mediation is confidential.
6
Relationship Enrichment
Mediation improves relationships.
7
Communication Improvement
Mediation improves communication.
8
Conflict Resolution
Mediation can identify and eliminate the sources of conflict.
9
Cost-Efficient & Beneficial
Mediation saves time and money.
10
Camaraderie
Mediation promotes justice and community.
At the mediation, there will be two peer mediators and a coordinator present for the mediation process. The mediation is private unless situations threaten your life or someone else's or describes child abuse or neglect. These situations will be reported.
The role of a Mediator is to listen and facilitate the conversation between the parties and not to take sides, judge or tell you what to do.
At the mediation, all parties will meet together for introductions and guidelines. Each party will meet with the mediators privately to share their story and then the mediators will privately transmit your story to the other party. This may occur a few times until all parties feel their story has been told and transmitted.
Mediators will also work to reach agreement in private sessions. All parties will reconnect at the end to review the agreement.
With training in mediation skills, Peer Mediators commit to assisting in dispute resolution using the mediation process. All students are invited to Apply to Become a Peer Mediator. All students are invited to apply for Peer Mediation Training (without the commitment to become a Peer Mediator). Training experience includes:
Mediation training has benefits for your personal and professional development including obtaining skills for problem-solving, listening to understand people's needs, and reducing conflict in your life and work.
We are pleased to offer these opportunities for teams, clubs or organizations! These serve to provide team bonding, growth, and professional development. Please email kuzcategui@fairfield.edu if you are interested in having any of the following workshops for your respective organization(s).
The Lucy Katz Dialogue & Resolution Program provides trained professional and student Social Justice Mediators to facilitate these workshops.
This workshop focuses on team engagement, developing strong relationships with others, and creating action steps for a healthy team dynamic.
This workshop focuses on a group developing a consciousness of inclusion by identifying and rectifying structural discrimination within their community.
This workshop focuses on examining individual’s privileges or lack thereof in society. Participants will explore the intersection of their multiple social identities (Race, Class, Gender, Sexuality, Spirituality, etc.). By gaining this consciousness, individuals will be able to explore ways to become allies to those groups who do not have the same privileges.
In this workshop, groups will focus on techniques to work through tension, e.g. active listening, story gathering, meaning making, etc. In addition, participants will be introduced to a range of interventions and prevention strategies to promote a healthy dynamic when dealing with tension in your group.
The Lucy Katz Fellowship plays a pivotal role in cultivating healthy and authentic relationships across campus, especially when tension exists within a community, team, or between partners, roommates, etc.
Lucy Katz Fellows work to develop students’ consciousness around social justice. They are responsible for cultivating a community that allows for diverse students at Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÒÅÆ to come together and engage in dialogue on difficult topics, such as racism, sexism, transgender oppression, heterosexism, etc.
Lucy Katz Fellows meet on a weekly basis in an attempt to accomplish the following learning goals:
Additionally, some Lucy Katz Fellows are trained as social justice mediators.
Contact Us
Karl A. Uzcategui
Associate Director
(203) 254-4000, ext. 3289
kuzcategui@fairfield.edu