Student Emergency Notification
When students are absent due to an emergency, crisis situation, or unexpected illness or hospitalization and are unable to contact individual instructors directly, the Dean of Students Office can send a Student Emergency Notification.
To request a student emergency notification, don’t hesitate to contact the Dean of Students Office at this request form.
- An email notification from the Dean of Students to a student's instructor(s).
- A notification that an emergency may prevent a student from fulfilling academic responsibilities.
- A source of information so faculty can anticipate a student's absence and (sometimes) know when to expect the student to return to class.
- A written reminder that students should work directly with instructors to determine how to complete any missed coursework during an absence.
- Appropriate for non-emergency situations such as car problems, minor illnesses or past absence(s).
- A request or mandate to excuse an absence; this decision belongs to the instructor.
- A requirement for students. If a student contacts instructors about an emergency directly, it is not necessary to involve the Dean of Students Office.
- Instructors are always welcome to share any concerns about a student with the Dean of Students staff.
- Students can always request that a Student Emergency Notification be sent in addition to the communication they sent to their instructor notifying them of the emergency/crisis/hospitalization, etc.
- Each instructor has the authority to make decisions about student absences and how an absence will affect students' grades. The Dean of Students Office is unable to require faculty to excuse absences, extend deadlines, grant extensions, or grant make-up work. However, the Dean of Students Office staff encourages faculty to keep in mind that students who have experienced an emergency are typically recovering from a crisis and benefit from appropriate consideration.
The staff in the Dean of Students Office will contact the student to offer support and assistance as the students resumes their academic responsibilities.
- Students are encouraged to contact their faculty directly to discuss missed coursework.
- Instructors may also contact students directly to discuss the students’ responsibility for completing missed coursework.
Student death
In the unfortunate event of a student’s passing, the Dean of Students Office is responsible for managing the official closure of the University of Nevada student records. A member of the Dean of Students Office serves as the liaison between the University and the student’s next of kin, coordinating the process required to return any university-held property and ensuring that all relevant university departments are notified for the appropriate closure of records.
If you have a notification to report or have any questions, don't hesitate to get in touch with the Dean of Students Office at (775) 682-6846 or email deanofstudents@unr.edu.
Student death procedure
While each situation is unique and may vary depending on the circumstances, the following is a general outline of the steps that occur once our office is notified of a student's death:
- A report is made to the Dean of Students Office by a family member, University staff, law enforcement, or another entity.
- The Dean of Students staff member connects with the student’s next of kin or reporting party and helps manage the process to return any property.
- The Dean of Students sends out official notification to campus departments to facilitate the closing of records (this could include unregistering from classes, removing from mail lists, properly closing financial aid or addressing fees).
- The Dean of Students reaches out to any reported or identified impacted parties, such as the student’s classes, social circles, residence hall/fraternity or sorority house, etc., and begins outreach to impacted parties by offering support services from Counseling Services.
Information sharing and privacy
The Dean of Students' Office staff is responsible for facilitating and notifying various campus departments about the closing of a student’s records. Disclosure of information to the general public is subject to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), as well as any applicable releases of information by law enforcement officials or other emergency personnel working with the Dean of Students Office.
The University’s response and any related communications will be shaped by several factors, including the circumstances of the incident, the impact on the campus community, the preferences of the student’s family, and the status of any ongoing police investigations.