SY42 Missing Student Policy

Contents:

• Purpose
• Definitions
• Policy
• University Contacts for Missing Students
• Further Information
• Cross References

PURPOSE:

Effective August 14, 2008, the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008, https://www2.ed.gov/policy/highered/leg/hea08/index.html requires any institution participating in a Title IV federal student financial aid program that maintains on campus housing facilities to establish a missing student notification policy and related procedures (20 USC 1092 (j) Section 488 of the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008) for students living in on campus housing.

DEFINITIONS:

Student-  The University defines a student as any person enrolled in any class or program of the University, full or part time.

Emancipated Individual- A person less than 18 years of age who has been declared by a court to be independent of his or her parents.

AVP - For this policy, “AVP” refers to an Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs assigned to respond to student emergencies.

POLICY:

The Pennsylvania State University will provide every student living in on campus student housing the opportunity and means to identify a missing student contact to be used in the event the student is reported missing. Missing student contact information will be registered confidentially and will be accessible only to authorized University officials and may not be disclosed except to law enforcement personnel in furtherance of a missing person investigation.

In accordance with the procedures established within this policy, within 24 hours after a student living in on campus student housing has been reported missing and the student is not known to have returned to the University or otherwise been located, the AVP or his/her designee will notify the individual the student has designated as his/her missing person contact. If the missing student is under 18 years of age and not an emancipated individual, the AVP or his/her designee will also notify the student’s custodial parent or guardian.

Students will be notified annually that each residential student of the University has the option to confidentially designate an individual to be contacted by the Penn State administration no later than 24 hours after the time that it is determined the student is missing.  Penn State provides each student with the means and opportunity to register their confidential missing student contact information by logging into the University’s LionPATH system and filling out the Address and Contact Information.  This confidential missing student contact can be anyone.  This option is provided to students even if a student has already registered an individual as a general emergency contact.  The student also has the option to identify the same individual for both their general emergency contact and missing student contact.

University Police shall investigate all reports of missing students and will notify and cooperate with other law enforcement agencies, as necessary, to further the investigation.

PROCEDURES:

Any individual who believes a student living in on campus student housing may be missing should immediately contact University Police. University Police may notify the AVP upon receipt of a missing student report. When receiving such report, both the AVP and University Police will attempt to determine whether the student is, in fact, missing. Among other steps that may be taken depending on the circumstances:

• AVP or his/her designee will attempt to contact the student through all reasonable and available means.
• University Police will investigate the validity of the missing person report and manage the information according to its established investigative standards.
• University Police may notify appropriate University personnel and seek their aid in the investigation (e.g., Student Affairs, Residence Life, Counseling and Psychological Services, etc.)
• Regardless of whether the student has identified a contact person, is above the age of 18, or is an emancipate minor, University Police will notify local law enforcement agencies within 24 hours of the determination that the student is missing, unless the local law enforcement agency was the entity that made the determination that the student is missing.

If, within 24 hours of the report, University Police is unable to locate the missing student and the student is not known to have returned to the University or otherwise located, University Police will notify the AVP and he/she or his/her designee will take the following action(s):

• The AVP or his/her designee will promptly notify the individual the student has designated as his/her missing person contact and document the date and time of the notification.
• If the missing student is under 18 years of age and not an emancipated individual, the AVP or his/her designee will also notify the student’s custodial parent or guardian and document the date and time of the notification.

University Police and the AVP will coordinate their efforts to locate the missing student. The AVP will notify the Vice President of Student Affairs and update him/her on the status of the investigation as appropriate.

When the missing student is located, the AVP or his/her designee will contact the student to offer any appropriate support, as well as the emergency contacts and/or parents to confirm the student has been located.

If the initial investigation is unsuccessful in locating the missing student, University Police will continue to investigate according to established police procedures. The AVP will decide what further action, if any, should be taken by the Office of Student Affairs.

UNIVERSITY CONTACTS FOR MISSING STUDENTS

FURTHER INFORMATION:

While this policy applies only to students living in on campus student housing, reports of students missing from off-campus residences will be referred to the police department having jurisdiction over the student’s local residence, if known, or the student’s permanent residence if a local residence cannot be determined, and the University will cooperate within its legal limitations with any subsequent investigation.

CROSS REFERENCES:

AD74 - Compliance with Clery Act

SY03 - Emergencies Involving Students

UPPS 2.03.05 - Missing Persons Policy

Most recent changes:

• June 8, 2023 - Policy steward update.

Revision History (and effective dates):

• September 26, 2019 - Editorial changes were made in Purpose section; changed the link for the Higher Educaiton Opportunity Act of 2008; in Procedures section: added new verbiage to the 4th bullet; and in the University Contact for Missing Student section: updated Berks, Greater Allegheny, and Harrisburg information.
• September 12, 2018 – Editorial changes were made in the Content section: deleted Background, Initial Response, Investigations, Communications, Provisions, Notifications, Registering and Notifying Student Missing Contacts, and Notifying Law Enforcement; and added “Procedures”; in the Purpose section: replaced with the Background section information , added “for students living in on campus housing” to the end of this sentence, and deleted the www.nacua.org website link;  in the Definitions section: the student definition replaced “to be” with “as”; added Emancipated Individual definition; deleted Missing Student definition; and in the AVP definition deleted “at University Park” and “or the Director of Student Affairs at a Penn State Commonwealth campus”.  Editorial changes were made to remove the standard operating procedural steps for Police and Student Affairs:  The information in the Policy section was changed and deleted Initial Response, Investigations, Communications; added “Procedures” section; and deleted the Provisions section (including Notifications, Registering and Notifying Student Missing Contact, Notifying Law Enforcement).  The University Contacts for Missing Students section information was updated, added University Police contact information for each campus, and re-formatted this section.  In the Further Information section, deleted “For questions, additional detail, or to request changes to this policy, please contact University Police and Public Safety” and replaced with new information. In the Cross references, added the UPPS 2.03.05 -Missing Persons Policy and Student Affairs- Missing Student Notification Policy and Procedures.
• May 11, 2016 - Editorial changes. Corrections to address information in the "University Contacts for Missing Students" section, as provided by University Police & Public Safety.
• June 19, 2014 - Editorial changes. Addition of policy steward information, in the event that there are questions or requests for changes to the policy.
• October 10, 2012 - New policy.
• October 5, 2021 - Updated University Contacts Information; Subject matter expert updated.