¶¶Òõ̽̽

Marie Vea is the Gund Institute’s Ombuds for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB). 

The Ombuds is an impartial and independent third party designated to assist students, staff, and faculty for discussing and resolving diversity, equity, and inclusion challenges or any disputes they may encounter while participating in the Gund Institute.

Main roles and responsibilities for the Ombuds are: 

• Be available to students, postdocs, staff, and faculty affiliated with the Gund Institute and respond quickly to queries.
• Play  a mediating role, if appropriate, between members of the community and those with whom they are in conflict.
• Refer members of the community to additional resources, people, and support, at ¶¶Òõ̽̽ and beyond, as appropriate.
• Brief the Gund Director and/or leadership team regularly about concerns and issues that have come up and activities undertaken to address them. These briefings can be anonymized at the sole discretion of the Ombuds to ensure privacy and safety of community members.
• Advise the Gund Institute leadership periodically on developing or improving polices/practices to enhance the experience of institute community members.
• When appropriate, report  dangerous behaviors or situations to authorities as required by Vermont and federal law and ¶¶Òõ̽̽'s compliance reporting policy.