20.001: Emergency Notification in Case of Student Death or Serious Injury

1. Overview

   The purposes of this policy are to provide clear and consistent communication with media and the public, to limit negative effects caused by the circulation of misinformation, to demonstrate respect for the families of students affected by tragedy, and to allow for delivery of support services to students and others affected by tragedy.

   Departments will communicate with each other and coordinate efforts in communicating to others in any circumstance involving the death or serious injury of a student.

   When possible, parents, legal guardians, or next of kin will be notified in advance of a media statement about the death of a student or serious injury.

2. Definitions

   1. Current Term: For the purpose of this policy, current term is defined as the most recent academic term for which the first day of the term is not in the future.
   2. Current Student: A current student is any student registered for credit-bearing classes for the current or any future term. This includes new students who have not taken a class, but who are registered for classes in a future term.
   3. Former Student: A former student is any student who is not a current student but has taken credit-bearing classes in a prior term. This includes graduates.
   4. Incoming Student: A student who has applied to the university for any academic program or who is further in the enrollment pathway but has not yet registered for classes.

3. Notifications 

   1. Current Student
      1. Initial notification
         1. Regardless of where or when an incident occurs, any individual with information about a student death or serious injury should contact the office of the dean of students. If the dean of students' office cannot be reached, the Ohio university police department ("OUPD") should be called. They will then contact the dean of students' staff member on-call. If the incident may involve a crime, it should also be reported to local police, if it hasn't already happened.
         2. If an Ohio university regional campus student dies or is seriously injured, the regional campus dean will coordinate the university's response, consulting with the dean of students as needed. If an Ohio university Athens campus or OHIO Online student dies or is seriously injured, the dean of students will coordinate the university's response. If a student dies or is seriously injured outside of normal business hours, the on-call staff member for the office of the dean of students will begin to coordinate the response and immediately notify the dean of students and the vice president for student affairs.
      2. Notifying executive leadership
         1. Once the initial facts and circumstances of the incident involving an Athens student or OHIO Online student are known, the dean of students or the vice president for student affairs will notify the president, the provost, and other executive officers and department heads, as appropriate. In the case of a regional campus student, the regional campus dean will notify the vice provost for regional higher education and partnerships, who will then notify the president, the provost, and others as appropriate.
      3. Notifying other university offices
         1. After notification to executive leadership, the office of the dean of students or regional campus dean will notify the office of the university registrar, even if official confirmation is not yet available, who will immediately notify key offices.
         2. Upon receipt of confirmation (such as an obituary, death certificate, or newspaper article) from the office of the dean of students or regional campus dean, the office of the university registrar will update the deceased student's record in the student information system accordingly.
         3. The registrar's office will prepare and distribute a memorandum informing select departments within the university community of the student's death.
         4. If the deceased student was enrolled in the current term, final grades will be recorded for any classes the student has completed, and fees will remain. The registrar’s office will cancel all remaining classes and present the cancellation to the university review panel. Once approved, the college or regional campus will be sent a copy of the approval documentation. If the deceased student is enrolled for any future terms, those classes will be removed from their record.
         5. Information technology, upon receipt of notice from the registrar's office, will deactivate the university email account of a deceased student and place a reply message on the account directing any sender of an email to contact the office of the dean of students.
      4. Additional notifications
         1. All public release of information and communication with the media related to an Athens campus or OHIO Online student death or serious injury will be coordinated by university communications and marketing, in consultation with the dean of students and the Ohio university police department. In the case of a student from a regional campus, extension campus, or center, the corresponding dean will be consulted.
         2. If a student dies, notification of next-of-kin will be coordinated by the local police or the medical facility at which the student dies. When possible, OUPD will consult with the dean of students regarding such notification. In the case of a student from a regional campus, extension campus, or center, the corresponding dean will be consulted.
   2. Former student
      1. Initial notification
         1. When an office or university official becomes aware of the death of a former student, they should notify the office of the university registrar, who will immediately notify key offices. Upon receipt of confirmation (such as an obituary, death certificate, or newspaper article), the office of the university registrar will update the deceased student's record in the student information system accordingly.
      2. Additional notifications
         1. Generally, the office of the university registrar will not communicate the death of a former student to executive leadership or to other university offices. If the former student was registered for classes within the last 12 months, the office of the university registrar will consult with the office of the dean of students to determine whether broader communication is warranted.
   3. Incoming student
      1. Initial notification
         1. When an office or university official becomes aware of the death of an incoming student, they should notify the enrollment marketing and operations unit. Upon receipt of confirmation (such as obituary, death certificate, or newspaper article), the office of enrollment marketing and operations unit will update the deceased student's record accordingly. In the case of an incoming graduate or medical student, the unit will coordinate with the Graduate College or Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine leadership for updating the student’s record and additional communication.
      2. Notifying executive leadership
         1. Generally, the enrollment marketing and operations unit will not communicate the death of an incoming student to executive leadership but will inform the office of the dean of students to determine if broader communication is warranted.
      3. Notifying other university offices
         1. The enrollment marketing and operations unit will prepare and distribute a memorandum informing select departments within the university community of the student's death, based on the student’s status in the enrollment process.

Forms, References, and History

1. Forms

   There are no forms that are specific to this policy.

2. References

   The following references are relevant to this policy: 

   1. 12.001 - Posthumous Awarding of Undergraduate Degrees
   2. 12.002 - Posthumous Awarding of Graduate Degrees 

3. History

   Draft versions of this policy that were circulated for review, their cover memos, their forms, and reviewers' comments on them are available on the password-protected review site.

   Prior versions of this policy were approved on:

   1. October 26, 2018
   2. April 18, 2007
   3. July 1, 1987
   4. August 1, 1986
   5. November 13, 1975
   6. June 29, 1971