Community Standards

Conflict Mediation

Do you have conflicts with...

• Friends?
• Roommates?
• Girlfriend?
• Boyfriend?
• Neighbors?

Have you found yourself in this situation...

• Does your roommate use your belongings without asking?
• Have you been annoyed because your neighbors are not cooperative?
• Have you had a big fight with your significant other?
• Conflicts with students whom you work or are members of your club or organization?

Try Mediation

Mediation is a method of dispute resolution in which a trained neutral third party (mediator) facilitates discussion between disputants in order to come to an agreeable resolution. It is an alternative to violence, hearings, courts, etc., and also introduces individuals to techniques that may be useful in avoiding and/or resolving future disputes.

Principles of Mediation

• Cooperative vs. Competitive
• Winners vs. Win-Lose Situation
• Based on Openness & Honesty
• Voluntary
• Concerned with Needs vs. Positions
• Deals With Emotional Issues
• Positive vs. Negative Orientation
• Attempts to Equalize Power
• Non-Threatening & Non-Punitive

Through mediation, disputants communicate their thoughts and feelings and are able to get to their personal needs.

The mediators are not judges.

The mediators do not make decisions.

Responsibilities of the Mediator

• Maintains Neutrality
• Guarantees Confidentiality
• Separates People from the Problem
• Makes No Decisions for the Parties
• Facilitates (through the use of mediation skills)

The success of mediation is that the disputants are shown that they have the power and ability to resolve their disagreements. Experience demonstrates that resolutions created by those in a dispute are more effective than judgments imposed by others.

Responsibilities of the Disputants

• Make Honest & Full Disclosures
• Abide By Rules & Guidelines for Conduct & Confidentiality
• Be Responsible for Their Needs, Feelings, Thoughts
• Be Responsible for Making Decisions