CHM Student Resolution Advocate
Christine Shafer, MD
The College of Human Medicine Student Resolution Advocate provides service to CHM students and to faculty who are experiencing distress related to their experience with CHM students. Contact will provide a confidential, professional encounter that promotes fairness, ensures respect for all individuals, facilitates communication, and assists students and their faculty in reaching understandable resolutions.
Students and faculty may initiate confidential* contact with the Student Resolution Advocate using the Professional Concerns and Mistreatment Report (PCMR) or the Concern/Comment/Question form to make a detailed report or to submit a question, comment, or concern. All communications about experiences with CHM are welcome. No identifiable information is generated by the form and no response can be sent back to the sender unless that information is included on the form by the sender. The forms are reviewed by the CHM Student Resloution Advocate only.
One reason to contact the Student Resolution Advocate is regarding student mistreatment. The College of Human Medicine strives to provide an educational environment that is humane, respectful, and safe. If you have a concern, experience unprofessional behavior or mistreatment- whether from a resident, faculty member, fellow student or someone else- please report it so we can begin to address the problem with you and improve the learning environment for others. All reports submitted using the Professional Concerns and Mistreatment Report (PCMR) are confidential. Contact may also be initiated with a confidential voice mail at 517-432-2996 (but be aware that this line is not monitored as frequently as the contact forms). Email to shafer@msu.edu is acceptable and any such email will not be shared or forwarded without permission; please be aware that email may be less secure. For the most prompt response and most reliable, confidential communication, please use the online forms.
The College of Human Medicine Student Resolution Advocate embraces the following attributes consistent with the International Ombudsman Association Code of Ethics.
INDEPENDENCE: The CHM Student Resolution Advocate is independent in structure and function to the highest degree possible within the College. The CHM Student Resolution Advocate serves as a supplement to other administrative processes and formal grievance procedures available at the College and University.
NEUTRALITY AND IMPARTIALITY: The CHM Student Resolution Advocate, is a designated neutral party and remains unaligned and impartial. The CHM Student Resolution Advocate strives to promote procedural fairness in the content and administration of practices, processes, and policies. The CHM Student Resolution Advocate does not engage in any situation which could create a conflict of interest.
CONFIDENTIALITY: The CHM Student Resolution Advocate holds all communications with those seeking assistance in confidence, and does not disclose confidential communications. If you have particular concerns about confidentiality, please be sure to raise the issue when you communicate with the resolution advocate. READ MORE
INFORMALITY: The CHM Student Resolutin Advocate, as an informal resource, does not arbitrate, adjudicate, formally investigate or participate in any internal or external formal process. Services supplement but do not replace other resources at the College and University. READ MORE
A REPORT TO THE CHM STUDENT RESOLUTION ADVOCATE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE NOTICE TO THE COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY NOR DOES IT INITIATE A FORMAL GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE. STUDENTS WILL BE DIRECTED TO APPROPRIATE PROCEDURES AND RESOURCES AS NEEDED.
In addition to or instead of contacting the CHM Student Resolution Advocate, Dr. Christine Shafer, students and faculty may contact the MSU University Ombudsperson, Shannon Lynn Burton, PhD at phone 517-353-8830 or email the Office of the University Ombudsperson.
*exception: the Student Resolution Advocate is a mandatory reporter and adheres to MSU policy regarding reports of sexual assault or harassment, child abuse or endangerment, and crime reporting.