The School of Conflict Management made a mediation clinic available that provides free mediation services to students, faculty and staff in the pursuit of conflict resolution.
The mediation clinic became available in November 2017 and is located in the conference room of the Math and Statistics building which houses the School of Conflict Management, Peacebuilding and Development on the Kennesaw campus — mediations can be scheduled on the Marietta campus as well.
The mediators are trained faculty and graduate students within the School of Conflict Management, Peacebuilding and Development.
The mediation service is an effort to reach an amicable agreement between the two parties before the issue has to be taken through official and disciplinary channels. Casey Davis, a graduate student with the mediation clinic, said that co-workers, students, roommates, classmates, teachers and anyone in the KSU community are welcome to seek counsel in the mediation clinic.
“Mediation is a process in which a neutral conflict resolution expert sits with two or more people who are experiencing trouble in their relationship,” said clinic faculty director Susan Raines. “Parties are guided through a process in which they share their perspectives and concerns, engage in brainstorming and problem-solving together, and reach agreements about how to improve the situation.
“If they do not reach an agreement, then they are no worse off for having tried mediation,” Raines continued.
Raines said that approximately 70 percent of people reach an agreement during mediation based on national averages.
Anyone can request a mediation appointment by emailing Raines at sraines@kennesaw.edu. Raines said the clinic only mediates first offenses for student conduct and academic integrity cases, but it can help at any stage of conflict for all other types of relationships.
“Rather than pay $200 to change roommates, consider trying to improve your ability to live together successfully through mediation,” Raines said. “It is a way to solve problems without making a formal complaint or risking more costly options like court, student conduct hearings, etc.”
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