This aspect of the center's work seeks to settle conflicts in a positive way by teaching others to create more cooperative working and learning environments and by helping people find a common ground in which they may work and learn. There are three areas of focus:

• Faculty/staff mediation - Focuses on conflicts between faculty, administrators, professional staff, and support staff in any combination thereof.
• Student mediation - Focuses on conflicts involving students such as those between roommates, parent/student, and landlord/tenant; covers racial, ethnic, religious, and lifestyle conflicts. Student mediators will be a part of the mediation team.
• Community outreach - Focuses on training community members, developing community resources, and bringing conflict resolution skills to neighborhoods and schools.

Mediation Process
Mediation/conciliation is a basic problem-solving process that helps participants:

• Identify the problem
• Confront the issues (not the persons) related to the problem
• Listen with an open mind to the feelings, interests, and needs of the persons involved
• Treat a person's feelings with respect
• Identify multiple options for resolving the problem
• Select options for resolving the problem by mutual agreement
• Take responsibility for implementing agreements
  

Mediation Benefits

• Convenient: Appointments are arranged to meet the schedules of the persons involved.
• Private: All procedures are confidential.
• Voluntary: Persons participate only if they choose to do so.
• Community-building: Resolving problems through cooperation results in better feelings and a stronger, safer community.
• Affirming: Individuals gain self-esteem, mutual respect, and new skills for dealing with future conflicts.
• Cost effective: Mediation is free to the Ball State University community. For those outside the Ball State community, there is a nominal fee of $100; however, effectively resolving disputes generally reduces both emotional and financial cost of conflict, particulary when one considers the cost of pursuing legal avenues.
• Time-saving: Mediation usually results in much quicker resolution of problems than when conflicts are taken to court.
• Win/win: Better than the win/lose of court action.

For more information, contact:

Jay Zimmerman, Mediation Coordinator
Center for Peace and Conflict Studies
Ball State University
310 N. McKinley Ave.
Phone: (765) 285-1267