Discussion and Suggestions for Advisors These findings obtained at a private medium sized university in the New York metropolitan area are consistent with patterns of sex differences reported in older adults and with the gender norms in mainstream American culture for emotional expression, which supports the generalizability of the findings. Advisors are crucial contacts for referring students to other services to promote their academic success. To facilitate advisors' role, faculty should be trained to reach out to their students' advisors when they receive forms excusing students from class to attend a funeral. Student advisement systems in which faculty report when students have multiple missed classes are another effective way to bring a bereaved student to the attention of his or her advisor. Males often think that their role is to be strong and suppress their feelings, thus they are harder to identify as having difficulties with bereavement without using other indicators such as class absences or a drop in academic performance, in contrast to females who are more likely to mention grieving to others. Advisors should do an outreach that acknowledges the students’ difficult time and assures them that their concentration and focus will return and includes referral information for grief counseling as well as an invitation to come in and talk about what they need to help them stay on track academically through this grieving period. Abstract What happens when college students experience the death of a close friend or family member? How will the advisor know that the student is grieving? How can academic advisors help students navigate the experience so that it does not have a negative impact on their academic work? This poster presents data from our recent study that show the high incidence of bereavement and the sex differences in grieving behaviors among traditionally aged college students who are in the stage of Emerging Adulthood. Insights into the topic are provided based on the emotion regulation literature and from a Developmental Advising framework. Background Although college student bereavement has not been widely studied, research has shown that it is fairly prevalent, as found in our recent study of college students' emotions. From a developmental psychology perspective, traditionally aged college students' emotional regulation skills are often challenged by the developmental tasks they face in the social sphere and the academic sphere (Stapley, 2014). Thus, it is important to be aware of possible added stressors that Emerging Adults often face. The addition of a death in their family or social circle can further strain college students’ emotion regulation capacity. One of the best indicators that a student is not coping well is a change in class attendance. Beyond missing class to attend a funeral, a student who has recently experienced a loss may stop attending all classes for a period of time. This tendency to avoid returning to class after a loss can lead to a downward spiral in academic progress that can be prevented with intervention from the student's academic advisor. Emerging Adulthood: “The Age of Possibilities” (18-29) Stage between adolescence and adulthood characterized by instability self-focus identity exploration feeling in-between A central loss might result in more turmoil than is already generally present in this transitional time. The adult literature suggests that there are gender differences in how problems with grief may be manifested (e.g. Bennett, 2003; Gupta & Bonanno, 2011; Strobe, Strobe, & Schut, 2001). This poster builds on past literature in order to best inform advising practice regarding the experience of bereavement among male and female undergraduates who are emerging adults. Presented at: NACADA National Conference, Atlanta, Georgia, November, 2016 Please direct all feedback to: Results 50% of the students had experienced a death in the past year. Research Methods A sample of 115 predominantly European American undergraduates (47% males and 53% females) volunteered for the study from a research participation pool. They completed a questionnaire packet including the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ, Gross & John, 2003), the Collett-Lester Fear of Death Scale (CL-FDS, Collett & Lester, 1975) and a questionnaire constructed for the study with both open ended and fixed response items on the topic of bereavement. The ERQ yielded scores for scales measuring use of two emotion regulation strategies: 'cognitive reappraisal' (trying to think of ways to make sense of one's situation) and 'Expressive Suppression' (trying not to show the emotion or feel it). College Student Bereavement: What Advisors Need to Know Janice C. Stapley, Associate Professor and Departmental Advising Coordinator