Letter to the editor

10 July 2002 |

To the Editor:

I’m delighted to learn about the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Asso-ciation’s preservation award for the Fox Cottage restoration. I do want you to know how much we treasure our little house — not just because it’s a charming place in which to work, but also because it truly helps us in our work of conflict resolution. Campus staff members who come to see us are often experiencing considerable stress at work.

In the months since we moved to the cottage, many people have told us that as soon as they entered the building, they began to feel better. (They never expressed such sentiments at our former work site!) A place that feels cozy, private and safe helps people to get into a frame of mind that enables them to speak more freely concerning the problems they are confronting.

This “opening up” permits us to be more effective in helping them to address underlying issues. Even the classes that we give in the “living room” seem to be more interactive now that we have a home-like space. So “storybook style” has indeed had storybook effects on the people who come here!

Margo Wesley
Director and Ombudsperson
Staff Ombuds Office