NIU Ombudsperson Sarah Klaper and graduate student Jency Thomas will deliver the next Jobs PLUS professional development talk, titled “The Art of Disagreeing and Maintaining Professional or Personal Relationships.”
The event will be held at 11:30 a.m. Monday, Nov. 7, in 71 North at Founders Memorial Library, a new collaborative enterprise space being developed to foster student innovation and entrepreneurial initiatives. Students are encouraged to visit the Jobs PLUS website to register for the event and other upcoming professional development opportunities.
Disagreements occur in all workplaces. Speaking up and asking questions is also expected in an academic environment. However, those actions can sometimes be misinterpreted.
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This active, hands-on workshop will discuss how employees throughout the university community can ask questions, express concern or disagree with a supervisor without crossing the line into insubordination.
Klaper joined NIU as ombudsperson in August 2012. Her office provides students, faculty and staff with guidance to help solve a variety of university-related issues or conflicts.
Klaper earned her Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Law and started her career in a general civil law practice. She then went into a solo family law practice and followed up by returning to her public-interest roots as a community lawyer at the Citizen Advocacy Center in Elmhurst.
Most recently, Klaper was a legal analysis, research and communication instructor at DePaul University College of Law, where she also taught education law and state and local government.
Thomas serves as a graduate assistant with NIU’s First- and Second-Year Experience (FSYE) and was a graduate assistant for NIU’s Asian American Center the previous year. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Nutrition, Dietetics and Wellness from NIU.
Jobs PLUS regularly hosts free professional development events open to all NIU students. Through partnerships with employers, students could even be eligible to attend these events on paid work time. Jobs PLUS events qualify for Passport in the College of Business and Honors Engaged in University Honors.
To learn more about Jobs PLUS or future professional development events, visit the Jobs PLUS website or contact Chad Glover.
