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Conducting mediation for students and staff of the University of Opole and persons using the University of Opole Law Clinic, promoting alternative dispute resolution methods, as well as developing education and research in the field of mediation – these are the objectives of the newly established University of Opole Mediation Centre. The unit operates within the Faculty of Law and Administration, and appointments to its team were made on 26 March 2026.
The Centre’s team will help the parties understand each other’s problems and concerns, support them in developing lasting solutions, and teach them how to build a culture of open communication. Academic mediation for University of Opole staff and students will be free of charge. In addition, the University Mediation Centre (UMC) will conduct mediation in areas including family, criminal, employment, neighbourly and community disputes. The unit is located in room 1.5 at the Faculty of Law and Administration, University of Opole, at 87a Katowicka Street.
‘Whether we are talking about civil or criminal proceedings, the mediator helps the parties work out a solution that will satisfy them,’ says Dr Arleta Augustyniak from the Faculty of Law and Administration, a court mediator for 23 years. ‘In civil proceedings, the most common cases are family matters, such as establishing contact with children or child maintenance. In criminal cases, the focus is on restorative justice and compensation paid directly to the victim. At the University Mediation Centre, however, we will be dealing with academic matters. For example, disputes within student groups, between staff members, or between students and lecturers.’
The team comprises five members who work at the University of Opole: Dr Arleta Augustyniak (Faculty of Law and Administration), Dr Aleksandra Wilk (Faculty of Law and Administration), Prof. Katarzyna Skałacka (Faculty of Social Sciences), Arkadiusz Parker, MA (Faculty of Social Sciences) and, as head, Prof. Monika Haczkowska, (Faculty of Law and Administration). The appointments were announced during a meeting also attended by: the Vice-Rector for Student Affairs, Prof. Joanna Ryszka, the UO Ombudsperson for Students and Doctoral Students, Dr Magdalena Gołowkin-Hudała; the Deputy Dean, Prof. Anna Frankiewicz-Bodynek; and Edyta Rzadkowska, MA, responsible for the UMC office.
‘The mediation centres being established at universities stem from a growing need to resolve conflicts. Such situations should be resolved here, within the academic community’ emphasises Prof. Monika Haczkowska, Head of the UMC. ‘The University Mediation Centre also has an educational function, as it will enable us to train students. We want them to develop the relevant soft skills during their law studies and be able to communicate effectively. These are increasingly valuable skills, and resolving conflicts at an early stage is a mindset. The UMC will also serve people in greatest need who are unable to access mediation on the commercial market, nor to bring a case to court to have it referred to mediation.’
According to the team at the UO Mediation Centre, the academic community is prone to disputes due to several factors. These include the individual nature of the work, a lack of preparation for teamwork and management, the hierarchical structure of the university, an excessive workload, and differences between academic staff, administrative staff and students. However, dialogue allows the resulting conflicts to be resolved, and this is precisely why the University Mediation Centre was established.