Ombudsperson’s report outlines areas Dalhousie can improve

Students are struggling to obtain accessibility services, switch thesis supervisors, receive culturally-informed healthcare and get support during mental health crises, according to Dalhousie University’s independent monitor. 

Dal’s ombudsperson’s office released its annual report on July 20 on data from 237 visits to the ombudsperson during the 2025-26 academic year.

The report lists recommendations for relevant faculties, services and university administration and highlights areas where existing measures fail to address concerns because students aren’t aware of them or implementation is inconsistent. 

The ombudsperson provides confidential and impartial advice to students who struggle with interpersonal or university policy-related issues. They operate independently of Dal out of an office in the Student Union Building. 

Ombudsperson Jessica Chubb declined to comment and redirected The Dalhousie Gazette to the university’s communications department.  

“This report lends insight into areas where the university can refine its policies, supporting our ongoing efforts to ensure a supportive environment for all community members,” said Janet Bryson, Dal’s communications director, in an emailed statement to the Dalhousie Gazette on Oct. 8. 

“The university appreciates the insight of the ombudsperson for this very thorough report and

their office’s dedication to providing a confidential, impartial, and independent space for our

campus community.”

The ombudsperson’s office saw a 22.8 per cent increase in visitors compared to 2024-25, which was Chubb’s first year in the role.

According to the report, students faced barriers to formally available accessibility accommodations, facing long wait times and accommodation processes described as “difficult to navigate, requiring repeated renewals, and continual self-advocacy.”

Students told the ombudsperson instructors tended to overlook or question approved accommodations, and raised concerns about proctor errors and mishandled exam materials in accommodated testing.

The report recommends that the university hire more advisors to support accessibility, provide more accommodated test areas and require instructors to acknowledge when they’re notified of students’ accommodations.

Many graduate student visitors to the ombudsperson reported barriers to switching supervisors despite valid concerns.

Inconsistent academic expectations or supervisors who refused to communicate with students about their long-term foreseeable absences were listed as trends, made worse by uncertainty about available support and fear of retaliation. 

“Even when students believed that changing supervisors was necessary, many felt trapped because supervisors hold significant influence,” the report says.

The report gives the Dalhousie Student Union insight into student concerns the union might not otherwise hear, says DSU president Anjali Seshadri.  

“It’s quite valuable to have an outside perspective on what student experiences are at the university,” she says. “When you have something like the ombudsperson, it’s just one of the additional overlapping ways in which you can reach students.”

The report mentions a lack of cultural responsiveness, specifically in healthcare and counselling settings. The ombudsperson notes this trend has appeared in previous years, and recommends that Dal more effectively communicate the process for switching healthcare providers or counsellors.

Seshadri says the DSU has also heard concerns about a lack of diverse on-campus counselling options. She and previous DSU executives have raised the issue with the university, but says she’s faced “somewhat of a pushback” from administration. 

Feedback from students on cultural responsiveness and mental health support has been “a missing piece” for the DSU, says Seshadri. The union is working to establish an office of community and culture to hear feedback on inequities and cultural insensitivities. 

The report also says Dal needs to be more lenient towards students going through mental health crises. 

Recommending an “equity lens to academic decision-making,” it calls for faculty to use discretion when penalizing a student in a mental health crisis, and for faculty to clarify the process for students to get retroactive accommodations if they had a mental health crisis. 

There is no public accountability process to ensure Dal applies the report’s feedback. Seshadri says she’s seen the university take good first steps, but says ensuring successful follow-through requires consistent pressure from students.