Rabbi Daniel Siegel will take over as adviser to the Dartmouth Community Mediation Center, replacing Environmental Studies Professor Jack Shepard.
Shepard left the College this summer for a job at Cambridge University after beginning the mediation program as a supplement to his war and peace studies class.
The mediation center works with the College community to help students and faculty members solve disagreements peacefully. The program is prepared to handle any situation ranging from roommate conflicts to problems between students and professors to stalking, said Rose Lee '96, who is a student mediator.
Siegel said he plans to strengthen the program and get more students to work with the program.
"We hope to set up a partnership between the original sponsors and the Tucker Foundation," said Siegel, a certified mediator who has more than 50 hours of training. "This will make the organization a stronger force on campus and get more students involved."
Lee said she expects the mediation program to take a more active role on campus.
"I think Rabbi Siegel has the energy and experience to help make that happen," Lee said.
Members meet for an hour each day to discuss conflict resolution techniques and mediation style.
People who want to use the College's mediation center first must contact Siegel, who then reviews the conflict and assigns a team of two mediators to meet with the involved parties.
Student mediators receive 24 hours of formal instruction on understanding and settling conflicts.
Training involves intensive role playing, learning what to say in specific situations and understanding the basis of conflicts.
The mediation center handled between 25 and 30 disputes last year.
