Missing Persons Policy

WPO 5.12-6 Missing Persons Policy (Op5.12-3)

Policy Statement

Every student who resides in on-campus housing shall have the option to identify a confidential individual to be contacted within 24 hours of the determination that the student is missing in accordance with the procedures outlines below.  Only authorized campus officials and law enforcement officers in furtherance of a missing person investigation may have access to this information.

Reason for Policy

In accordance with Section 485 of the Higher Education Act (HEA), every institution of higher education that provides on-campus housing must provide a missing student notification policy for those students residing in on-campus housing.

Organizations or Persons to Whom a Report should be made

The organization or persons to which individuals should report a student as missing includes: residence hall directors, Coordinator of Student Life, or Vice Chancellor of Student Services.

Procedure for Informing Students

RAs will cover confidential contact information with students during check in procedures.  Residents will be requested to provide the contact information which will be kept on file in the Residence Life office until the start of the next academic year when it will be shredded.  Students are allowed to change the contact information at any time and should request that at the Residence Life office. 

Procedure for determining if a student is missing

If a student is reported missing to a residence life staff member, the staff member should be sure to obtain the reporting person’s name, relationship to the student, and contact information where the reporting person can be reliable reached.  The staff member should obtain local directory information about the missing student and immediately notify the residence life director or the staff member on call.

The director should refer to the Reported Missing Student Checklist and contact the reporting person to obtain the additional information needed.  If the director determines at any point that there is a credible threat to the well-being of the student reported as missing, the director should call and request police assistance and make a report to supervisory staff.  The director should then proceed to contact known student friends/relationship, beginning with roommates/suitemates, and the missing student’s resident assistant.  The director should also use direct and indirect methods of leaving messages for the student to make contact immediately. The purpose at this point is to determine if the student is truly missing or has simply failed to make the desired contact with the reporting person.  If the student is located or is determined not to be missing, the student should be advised to contact the reporting person.  The director may also contact the reporting person and relay that the student is not missing has been asked to contact the reporting person.

If pursuing known contacts has not yielded confirmation that the student is not missing, the director should contact the coordinator of student life and Vice Chancellor of student services, reporting all obtained information, and follow verbal notification with an Incident Report. The coordinator or Vice Chancellor may then authorize one or more of the following measures to determine recent activity by the student reported as missing:

  • Building card access report
  • Meal plan utilization
  • Mailbox activity
  • Class attendance
  • In-plain-sight examination of room to see signs of recent use or planned departure

If the results of these activity measure suggest that the student is indeed missing and unaccounted for, the Vice Chancellor of Student Services or designee will immediately notify Campus Safety and request law enforcement investigation.  All information obtained about the missing student through the residence life investigation should be shared with Campus Safety and law enforcement representatives. Campus Safety is responsible for notification of the missing student’s identified contact if the student has been missing for 24 hours.  If the student is under 18 years of age and not an emancipated individual (by court order, no longer under the control or responsibility of parents), Campus Safety shall immediately contact the custodial parent or guardian.

Procedure for Notification of Missing Student

If University Safety officials determine that a student for whom a missing person report has been filed has been missing for 24 hours, then within the next 24 hours, they must:

  • Notify the individual identified by the student to be contacted in this circumstance,
  • If the student is under 18 years old, notify a custodial parent/guardian and any other designated contact person, and
  • Notify law enforcement.

The above procedures do not preclude University officials from making a determination that a student is missing before the student has been missing for a full 24 hours or initiating notification procedures as soon as it determines that the student is missing.

Line of authority

Responsible administrator and office: Vice Chancellor of Student Services

Contact Person in that office: Director of Residence Life

Effective date

Chancellor approval: