Procedure Following a Student Death 4.2-3

Policy/Procedures:  

When any University office, faculty or staff member is informed of the death of an off-campus student, they are to notify the Office of the Associate Provost/Dean of Students. If the death occurs on-campus University Police will be responsible for coordinating these procedures and activities in cooperation with the Office of the Associate Provost/Dean of Students.

The Office of the Associate Provost/Dean of Students is responsible to be the primary contact with the student’s emergency contact or their designated representative, to notify appropriate University offices and personnel.

In the event of the death of a student, each of the offices named below will be expected to carry out the following specific responsibilities:

• Academic Departments 
  The Office of the Associate Provost/Dean of Students will notify the deceased's Dean or department chairperson and request that the student's tests, assignments, lab reports or project reports be sent to the Office of the Associate Provost/Dean of Students. (Many times, the family likes to have these items.) Some instructors may also wish to send a sympathy card. Instructors should notify classmates and lab partners.
• Campus Mental Health and Wellness Center 
  The Director will coordinate with the Director of Residential Life and any other applicable member of the Residential Life staff to contact roommates and friends who are SVSU students of the death. All roommates and friends should be offered grief counseling, explaining the grief process so that they are better able to handle difficult feelings and any other mental health concerns that may accompany the grief process.
• Career Services and Human Resources Offices
  The Director of Career Services and/or the Director of Human Resources will notify the Office of the Associate Provost/Dean of Students if the student was a student employee. If the student was a student employee, the Director of Career Services and/or the Director of Human Resources will notify the employing department of the death.
• International Programs 
  If the deceased is an international student, the Office of the Associate Provost/Dean of Students will notify the Office of International Programs. The office will work with the Office of the General Counsel to contact the embassy involved and notify the family. The Office will work to identify a third party who speaks the language of the deceased when the family is notified, in the case that the family does not speak English.
• Military Student Affairs
  The Director will advise the Associate Provost for Student Affairs/Dean of Students of any military programs the deceased was registered.
• President's Office 
  The President's Office will handle the details of sending flowers or a memorial.

• Registrar's, Controller's and Scholarships & Financial Aid 
  Upon confirmation of the death, the Registrar will assume responsibility for recording "deceased" in the official records of the student, including the University's computer information system from which the Registrar will also delete the student's current and permanent mailing addresses. If the deceased was a new applicant, the Registrar will advise the Office of Admissions of the death. If the deceased was a student athlete, the Registrar will notify the Athletic Director (AD). The AD will notify the coach, who will inform the team members.

  We do not want the deceased's family to be indebted to the University. To this end, the Registrar will consult with the Director of Scholarships & Financial Aid and the Controller to determine the best alternative - (1) cancel the registration and waive the tuition of the deceased, or (2) withdraw the deceased from classes as of the date of death.

  Upon notification, the Controller's Office will withhold future activity with the account. If the death occurs at billing time or during the summer, special care must be taken not to send bills to the parents/guardians or to the student's home address. All charges will be computed (housing, lab fees, tuition, scholarships, loans, grants, student employment, etc.) and refunded to the extent any charges have not been expended. If a refund is due to the student, the check will be sent to the Associate Provost/Dean of Students for forwarding. W-2 forms must be forwarded to the emergency contact or their designated representative when they are available.

  The Director of Scholarships & Financial Aid will advise the Office of the Associate Provost/Dean of Students of any loan programs to which the deceased was indebted so the emergency contact or their designated representative can be informed.

• Residential Life and Housing Offices
  If the deceased lived in a University housing facility, the Director of  Residential Life will notify the Residential Life staff member who will advise the student's roommates of the student's death.  Special instructions should be given to the roommates not to dispose of anything belonging to the deceased. The emergency contact or their designated representative may want everything that belonged to their student - letters, magazines, etc.

  The Director of Residential Life will also make arrangements for the emergency contact or their designated representative to pack and/or pick up the belongings when the time is right. If the emergency contact or their designated representative request SVSU or others to do the packing, a member of the University staff must be present (University Police, Residential Life or Housing). An inventory list will be shared with emergency contact or their designated representative.  Boxes should be labeled with emergency contact or their designated representative names. 

• Student Life Center 
  The Student Life Center will notify all campus clubs and organizations in which the deceased was a member. The Student Life Center staff are available to coordinate with these clubs and organizations if they wish to send condolences. 

• University Communications 
  Upon approval by the emergency contact or their designated representative, the Media Relations Officer will notify the local news media and the Director of Alumni Relations (if applicable).

• University Police 
  If death cannot has not been verified by means of a published obituary, the Chief of University Police or designee will attempt to verify death by contacting one or more appropriate sources to include but not limited to hospital, state and/or local police, appropriate county clerk’s office or other appropriate means.  Verification should be reported to the Office of the Associate Provost/Dean of Students.
  Parking services will review, dismiss and close out out any pending parking citations against the student. Additionally, they will contact Saginaw County Traffic division to inform them of the death.

Special Attention

• If possible, a member of the SVSU family should attend the funeral services.
• A sympathy letter will be sent to the emergency contact or their designated representative from the Office of the Associate Provost for Student Affairs/Dean of Students.
• The primary contact from the Office of the Associate Provost/Dean of Students will be prepared to address any questions regarding memorial funds, including a referral to the SVSU Foundation.