Wichita State University Notification and Action Protocol in the Event of Student Death

Last updated August 4, 2023

This document is written with the intention that it will remain relevant regardless of changes in staffing or position organization. This document therefore contains position titles without names or contact information. 

Protocol Begins:

In the event of a student death

If the death occurred on campus, campus police will respond and notify the Chair of Care Team.

If the death occurred off campus, when a university office or staff member receives information of the death they will notify the Dean of Students.

The Notification of Student Death is sent to all the contacts listed and is to be completed as quickly as possible (it is not intended to be sequential). When responses have been completed, updates should be sent to the Chair of Care Team.

The Chair of Care Team will:

Notify Academic Affairs
  • CONTACT
    • Associate Vice President for Academic Administration and Outreach
    • Academic Dean(s)
  •  RESPONSE
    • Coordinate with academic dean(s) and the faculty most affected by the student’s death.
    • Collaborate with academic dean or their designee to review the student’s record to determine if student is eligible for a posthumous degree.
      • Information re: the awarding of a posthumous degree will be initiated and facilitated through the college of the student’s enrollment at the time of death. This includes contact with the family.
    •  Academic College(s) should not initiate *memorials or vigils.
    • Academic College(s) should not release information via social media, including condolences, without coordination with the Dean of Students.
Notify Care Team
  • RESPONSE
    • Initiate Care Team response to the affected student(s).
    • Call emergency contact to offer support.
    • Send official condolences on behalf of the university.
Notify Counseling and Prevention Services
  •  CONTACT
    • Director of Counseling and Prevention Services
  •  RESPONSE
    • Offer support and resources (time and written materials) to students and departments impacted by the loss.
    • Assist the family in identifying community resources for assistance if requested.
    • Be available to attend on-campus memorial services if the situation permits.
Notify Student Health Services
  •  CONTACT
    • Director of Student Health Services
  •  RESPONSE
  • Determine if the student has used Student Health Services and identify their status in the electronic health record.
    • If applicable, inform the student’s SHS healthcare provider and/or healthcare staff most impacted by student death.
  • Remove and refund (as appropriate) any outstanding healthcare fees or health insurance claims
  • If requested, assist the family and/or campus partners:
    • to identify the health insurance coverage
    • to understand the plan, processes, and/or documentation necessary to support repatriation and medical evacuation services.
Notify Finacial Aid
  •  CONTACT
    • Director of Financial Aid
  •  RESPONSE
    • Determine if the student’s financial aid has been disbursed for the current semester.
    • If it has not been disbursed - the aid will be cancelled and the disbursement will be stopped.
    • If it has been disbursed - the Office of Financial Aid performs the following calculations:
      • Federal Pell Grant:
        • Contact student’s instructors to verify the student was attending each of their courses.
        • If the student did not begin attendance (or their instructors cannot confirm attendance) in each of their courses, the Pell Grant is adjusted downward (or canceled), which may result in an outstanding balance on the student’s account.
    • If the student has any federal student aid, a Return to Title IV (R2T4) Federal Aid Calculation is performed to determine whether or not the university and/or the student needs to repay the federal programs. If WSU must return any of the federal aid used for tuition & fees, the university returns the funds and may attempt to recoup it from the student’s account.
    • If the student had a federal student loan for either the current or a past semester, the Office of Financial Aid sends a letter of condolence to the student’s family to inform them of the right to have the federal student loans forgiven. This letter includes information on how to initiate the process and contact information for the agency servicing the student’s loan(s).
Notify Financial Operations
  •  CONTACT
    • Director, Student & AR Fiscal Operations
  •  RESPONSE
    • Remove and refund (as appropriate) any tuition/fees after the registrar and financial aid offices have finished their changes to the student’s account.
Notify Housing and Residence Life
  •  CONTACT
    • Director of Housing
  •  RESPONSE
    • Determine if student is living in on-campus housing.
      • If so, coordinate outreach to impacted community utilizing appropriate campus partners
        • Coordinate removal of student bills/refund if applicable.
        • Coordinate with Dean of Students to contact parents/guardians and offer assistance packing up belongings.
        • Work with roommates on new space if needed/wanted.

Notify Institutional Equity & Compliance
  •  CONTACT
    • Director of the Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance
  •  RESPONSE
  • Determine if the student has incomplete cases.
      • If so, dismiss the case or make necessary contacts to adjudicate without the student (i.e. if the student was not the only party involved and adjudication is still relevant).
Notify Human Resources
  •  CONTACT
    • Executive Director, Human Resources
  •  RESPONSE
    • Determine whether the student is an employee.
    • Process Termination ePAF, and confirm termination through SHaRP.
    • Terminate any relevant voluntary payroll deductions (parking, etc.).
    • Follow up with Payroll for any necessary steps.
    • Follow up with HR – Benefits team for any necessary steps.
Notify Registrar's Office
  •  CONTACT
    • Registrar
  •  RESPONSE
    • Mark record deceased in Banner SIS.
    • Deactivate the student’s e-mail account.
    • Process administrative drop or withdrawal of enrolled classes for the current or future terms
    • Confirm eligibility for posthumous degree if recommendation is made by the college to the Vice President of Academic Affairs.
      • Generate diploma and provide to appropriate contact for delivery to the family.
Notify Shocker Store
  •  CONTACT
    • Shocker Stores Director
  •  RESPONSE
    • Determine if the student had outstanding book rentals.
      •  If so, coordinate with Dean of Students to retrieve books.
Notify Student Conduct & Community Standards
  •  CONTACT
    • Director of Student Conduct & Community Standards
  •  RESPONSE
    • Determine if the student has incomplete cases.
      • If so, dismiss the case or make necessary contacts to adjudicate without the student (i.e. if the student was not the only party involved and adjudication is still relevant).
Notify Student Engagement, Advocacy, And Leadership
  •  CONTACT
    • Director of Student Engagement, Advocacy, and Leadership
  •  RESPONSE
    • Determine if student is involved in any recognized student organization.
      • If so, coordinate outreach to impacted community members utilizing appropriate campus partners.
      • Student groups/organizations should be discouraged from facilitating a *memorial or vigil.
      • Student groups/organizations should be discouraged from releasing anything via social media, including condolences, without coordination with the Dean of Students.
Notify Vice President for Student Affairs
  •  CONTACT
    • Vice President for Student Affairs
  •  RESPONSE
    • Notify University President.
    • Notify President’s Executive Team.
    • If necessary, coordinate media response with Strategic Communications
Chair of Care Team
  • Send Notification of Student Death to campus partners.
  • Create an incident report/file for tracking purposes.
  • Create an incident report/file for students believed to be the most affected by the student death and initiates WSU Care Team intervention.
  • If necessary, convene the Postvention Response Team to discuss campus responses.
    • Members of the Postvention Response Team may include representatives from the following:
      • Vice President of Student Affairs
      • Wichita State University Police Department
      • Housing & Residence Life
      • Counseling & Prevention Services
      • Associate Vice President for Academic Administration and Outreach
      • WSU Care Team, University
      • Strategic Communications
      • Other offices may be included as needed/necessary
  • Collect responses from campus partners and add responses to the file.
  • Send official condolences on behalf of the university (card/flowers).
  • If possible: Attend funeral (or equivalent service) on behalf of the institution.

* Wichita State University believes it to be in the best interest of our community to not promote the creation nor facilitation of memorials or vigils on the campus. The Postvention Team may be convened and make different decisions should the situation warrant a different response.