EWU Protocol for Responding to the Death of a Student

Reporting and Gathering Information

Reports of any enrolled student death or deaths (“enrolled” students include students enrolled at EWU on campus, on study abroad, during summer sessions, on leave of absence or continuous enrollment, or in online or distance education) that occur should be immediately reported to the Dean of Students or designee (“DSA”) at:

Sam Armstrong Ash
Associate Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students

Pence Union Building 301
526 5th St.
Cheney, WA 99004

Phone: 509-359-7852 (Office)
Email: sarmstrong@ewu.edu

The DSA or designee is responsible for notifying senior university staff and will coordinate the flow of information, including convening conference calls as appropriate. DSA will work with all appropriate university departments, including EWUPD, to confirm the date, time, and manner of death. DSA is also responsible for coordinating support efforts for family members, other students, faculty, and staff.

When reporting a student death to DSA or designee, it is important that the reporting individual communicate as much of the following information as is available:

Student name EWUid number
Date and cause of death
Names and contact information (email, cell phone number) of parents, spouse/partner, children (if available), and/or designated emergency contact
College/school and major or graduate program
Student’s primary residence location
How you were notified of the student’s death
Any other relevant information

When reporting a student death to DSA or designee, it is important to note information that has been confirmed vs. information that is believed to be true. DSA will work to independently validate information that is shared.

As needed, the DSA or designee will notify:

University President
Vice President for Student Affairs
Vice President and Chief of Staff, Office of the President
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs
Dean of the school/college of the deceased student
Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations
Vice President for Human Resource Management and Development
Chief, EWU Police Department

For graduate students and students in professional programs, the DSA will notify the Graduate Programs.

In instances where a death has not been confirmed, the DSA or designee will keep the Vice President of Student Affairs and the Provost apprised of the on-going investigation. Expanded notifications, as outlined above, will occur once a death has been confirmed.

Upon confirmation of death and when additional information is learned about the manner and cause of death, DSA or designee may notify additional offices as appropriate.

If DSA is aware that notification of a student death has not been made to the student’s family, DSA will notify the student’s family of the death as soon as reasonably possible. After the family has been notified of the student death, DSA will serve as the point of contact for the university with the family, or their representative, (hereafter referred to as “family”) and will be responsible for on-going communication with them.

If a family of a deceased student reaches out to another office on campus, they should be directed to DSA, as all inquiries from family members will be addressed by DSA. Others at the university should not initiate contact with the family without prior authorization from DSA, in order to ensure accuracy and appropriateness of communication. DSA will express the university’s condolences, give contact information, provide guidance about next steps and what to expect, and will advise family members that DSA will be the primary source of university information and assistance.

DSA may gather the information below, if it is not already known and confirmed:

Date and cause of death
Names and contact information (email, cell) of parents, spouse/partner, any children, and/or the person who will serve as the family’s point of contact for the university
Plans for funeral or other services (locations, dates, times, etc.)

In some cases, it may be appropriate for the Chief of EWUPD to be in contact with the family in addition to DSA. In these cases, the two offices will share information to ensure the communication is coordinated.

The university understands that the preferred method of parental/family notification of a death should be in person and delivered by individuals with special training on delivering such a message. Whenever possible, the university will work with local law enforcement to make such a notification but understands that such notifications may take longer than is realistic to wait.

During the initial phases of investigation, i.e., when details are still being confirmed, it is vital that communication be timely and accurate. For this reason, face-to-face or telephone communication may be more effective than other methods of communication. If necessary, conference calls should be scheduled to provide updates. Email may be used as appropriate.

The Office of the General Counsel (OGC) should be consulted regarding inquiries about the circumstances of a student’s death or requests for information about student records. Email messages sent to OGC for legal advice should include “Confidential and Privileged” in both the subject line and in the first line of the email and should not be further distributed.

DSA will be responsible for maintaining records of the information gathered and follow-up steps taken in response to reports of a student death. As part of a further effort to coordinate this response, if law enforcement contacts any office at the university, that office should contact DSA immediately.

Post Response

Individual-Level Student Response

DSA will collect affected student data and will facilitate outreach by both Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) and CARE Team staff:

Affected students may be close friends, roommate(s), floormates, classmates, in the same extracurricular organization(s), etc.
These students are identified through community outreach and available data.
Students are also brought to the attention of DSA by concerned friends, families, staff, and faculty.
This includes students who are first responders or who may have been eyewitnesses to the incident.

The Vice Provost for Student Affairs and Dean of Students will review the list of students not previously associated with the student in question, but about whom DSA was already concerned [based on previous interaction(s) and behavior(s) such as recent expressed suicidal ideation or attempt, having suffered a significant loss, etc.]. The Vice Provost for Student Affairs and Dean of Students and other departments will continue to reach out to these students to provide additional support as appropriate.

For the first tier of students (roommate(s), significant others, close friends):

The Dean of Students or designee will be the point of contact immediately following notification that a death has occurred.
Outreach from the Dean of Students or designee and CARE Team to these students will happen on-site and immediately.
This outreach will include offering new room(s), notification of family members, connection to counseling services, and communication with faculty and academic advisors.

For the second tier of students (friends in the residential community):

The Director of Residential Engagement for that residential configuration will be the point of contact.
As these students need counseling services, the Director will work with CAPS to ensure that appropriate resources are offered.

For the third tier of students (others in the residential community):

The Assistant Director for the residential configuration will serve as the point of contact.
As these students need counseling services, the AD will work with CAPS to ensure that appropriate resources are offered.

For any second and third tier student(s) requiring academic notifications:

The Dean of Students or designee will communicate with faculty and academic advisors during the next business day.

For all students affected:

The Vice Provost for Student Affairs and Dean of Students will be the point of contact immediately following notification that a death has occurred.
Outreach from the Vice Provost for Student Affairs and Dean of Students or designee to these students will happen immediately by phone and email.
This outreach will include notification of family members, connection to counseling services, and communication with faculty and academic advisors.

Community-Level Student Response

The Vice Provost for Student Affairs and Dean of Students or designee will work with CAPS, CLRE, and CARE Team to coordinate outreach to the residence hall in which the student lived.

Additional email communication will occur 1-2 weeks later to emphasize the resources available to students as they need additional support.

May include, but are not limited to: athletic/club sports teams, classes, student organizations, community groups, student employment, and academic affiliation groups.

The Vice Provost for Student Affairs and Dean of Students or designee, will identify “micro-communities” in which the student was involved and will coordinate DSA outreach to these groups.

After the DSA outreach to the group, follow up outreach will take place 1-2 weeks later through both email and direct community-based communication.

Death of Student in Study Abroad Program

In the event of a death (or presumed death) of a student in a university study abroad program, DSA, in consultation with the Office of Study Abroad, will contact the On-Site Program Director or local program official, who will:

Determine the identity of the student, including the student’s full name, and will communicate that information to the Office of Study Abroad and to DSA;
Work with local authorities to determine the nature and cause of death and maintain communication with local authorities in cases of on-going investigations and/or evolving situations;
Contact the in-country U.S. consulate or embassy to notify them of what has happened;
Refer all media inquiries to the Office of Communications and Marketing;
Work with other students impacted by the death and, in coordination with DSA, arrange for counseling services.

DSA will work through the Office of Study Abroad; the Office of the Vice President and Treasurer; and/or GW Risk Management to contact our insurance provider to make them aware of what has happened. DSA will connect the family of the deceased to the insurance provider to discuss what may be covered.

If the death of a student abroad is the result of a public health emergency, the On-Site Program Director will follow the direction of local and international public health officials and the U.S. Department of State, in consultation with the Medical Director of the Student Health Center.

The On-Site Program Director should be mindful of the emotional wellbeing of other students in the program and may arrange for on-site counseling support for these students as appropriate.

Student, Faculty & Staff Support

Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) in the Student Health Center may provide individual and/or group counseling services to students impacted by the death, as necessary. These students may include roommates, classmates, teammates, fraternity/sorority members and other student group affiliation members. CAPS will also be available to the university community for consultation.

The CARE Team will act as an on-going resource for those affected by the loss. DSA staff will coordinate the CARE Team response, which may include outreach to faculty, staff, classes, student organizations, athletics, and others impacted by the death.

The Employee Assistance Program is a free confidential counseling and referral service that is available to assist employees in working through a wide range of personal and work-related concerns.

The Dean of the school/college in which the student is enrolled at the time of death will serve as the primary person communicating information to the members of their school. The Dean should also serve as a mechanism of support to the faculty and staff impacted by the student death and work with their Human Resource Director to facilitate such support. It is also important for the Dean to communicate the expectations as outlined in this protocol to those on his/her/their team who may have a role in coordinating a response.

Once contact is made with the family, the Dean may, in conjunction with DSA, reach out to the family to offer condolences. It is vital that these communications are documented and shared with DSA to ensure appropriate records can be maintained. Additionally, after official condolences are sent from the President, the Dean can send a condolence letter to the family. Copies of any such communication should be forwarded to DSA for inclusion in the file.

University Communications

Communications and Marketing will coordinate official/public university communications regarding the incident and will serve as the primary point of contact for all media inquiries. Other members of the university community are not authorized to speak with the media (including student news media) on behalf of the university without first consulting with and obtaining approval from Communications and Marketing.

If the student death has public health implications, the Student Health Center will be notified and will coordinate notifications and response with the local Department of Health, and other GW entities as appropriate.

Communications and Marketing is responsible for communicating notice of a student death to the university community. The specific protocols governing this communication will vary from situation to situation, but the following general guidelines will provide a basis from which decisions will be made:

Communications and Marketing will work with DSA or designee and Emergency Management to keep the community informed, via GW Alerts (text & email) and/or the web and social media as appropriate, about an “on-going emergency situation” and where that emergency is occurring.
These communications should contain brief, factual information and should not include manner or cause of death or any identifying information about the deceased.
These should occur as soon as possible to prevent inaccurate information from being reported.
A follow-up communication via email will be communicated to the GW community upon confirmation that the family of the deceased has been notified.
- DSA will tell the family that such a communication will be sent to the community.

Communications and Marketing will work with the appropriate parties to notify the students in that location or in that specific online program of the death upon confirmation that the family of the deceased has been notified.
- DSA or designee will tell the family that such a communication will be sent to the community.

It is important to note that the wishes of the family will not otherwise preclude the university from making notifications or providing support to the GW community.

Although the death of a student is always a tragic event, there are some deaths that occur under circumstances that may require a deviation from the general guidelines outlined above. In cases where there is an on-going police investigation and the release of information may otherwise compromise that investigation or the death is unconfirmed for some period of time, the university will consider the needs of the police investigation when communicating information to the community. However, such requests from the police will not otherwise preclude the university from making notifications or providing support to family and friends.

Additional considerations may be necessary in the case of a suicide. Special care should be given to not disclose the manner and/or cause of death or to use pictures of the deceased, their family/friends, or the location of the death. The university will make every effort to adhere to the CDC Guidelines for Reporting on Suicide and the Higher Education Mental Health Alliance (HEMHA) Guide.

In some circumstances it may be very difficult to notify the family of the deceased. In these cases, the university will make every effort not to use the deceased student’s name until receiving confirmation that the family has been notified.

Student Support Events

Events that support student and community grieving can be important for those impacted by the death. Formal memorial services will not be organized by the university. Schools/colleges, departments, students, and student organizations are encouraged to work with DSA to plan and organize events as appropriate for those grieving and impacted by the student death. As these types of events are, by their very nature, private, media should not be included or invited to cover the activities. Staff from CAPS should be present.

Financial Obligations

In most cases, the family of the deceased is required to pay for all classes that the student completed before his or her death. A retroactive withdrawal will be processed and all tuition and fees for the semester in which the student died will be refunded. DSA will work with the appropriate university offices to close-out all accounts and to mark the student’s record appropriately.

Posthumous Degrees & Participation in Graduation Ceremonies

In limited circumstances, the university may consider awarding a posthumous degree, provided the following criteria are met:

the student was enrolled in classes at the time of his or her death;
the student was in good academic standing;
the student completed at least 75% of the requirements for the degree (in progress courses do not count towards the 75% completed); and
the family has expressly requested that a posthumous degree be awarded.

Provided all of the above criteria are met, the Dean of the school in which the student was enrolled should prepare a memo to the Provost outlining why the degree should be awarded, along with documentation of completion of all required coursework, and forward it to DSA. DSA will work with the appropriate offices to determine whether a degree will be awarded and will communicate this information to the appropriate Dean and to the family.

DSA will work with families who wish to attend commencement activities and will coordinate any such attendance with the school in which the student was enrolled.

FERPA & Other Privacy Laws

The federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) generally prohibits release of personally identifiable information from a student’s education records without the student’s consent. Further, depending on the circumstances, other federal and/or state laws may restrict disclosure of certain information. Accordingly, if records of a deceased student are requested, please consult with the Office of the Senior Vice President and General Counsel prior to the release of any such information in order to ensure that disclosure does not violate privacy or disclosure laws, or breach an applicable privilege (e.g., doctor-patient and attorney-client). Depending on the type of records requested and who is requesting the records, the following guidelines will assist in the response:

FERPA Records:
- If the parents, legal representative, or next of kin of the deceased student requests FERPA records relating to the deceased student – DSA should provide the records via email or overnight mail, depending on the legal representative or next-of-kin’s wishes.
- If a third-party requests FERPA records relating to the deceased student – DSA will not release the records unless the third party has a signed authorization for the release of the deceased student’s records from the student’s legal representative or next of kin.
Medical or Mental Health Records:
- If the legal representative or next of kin of the deceased student requests medical or mental health records relating to the student – DSA should provide the records via email or overnight mail, depending on the legal representative or next of kin’s wishes.
- If a third-party requests medical or mental health records relating to the deceased student – DSA will not release the records unless the third party has a signed authorization for the release of the deceased student’s mental health records from the deceased student’s legal representative or next of kin.
EWUPD Records: Requests for EWUPD records will be evaluated on a case by case basis in consultation with the Office of the General Counsel.

All records provided by the university will have the social security number of the deceased student redacted pursuant to university policy.