1. NASPA IV-W Case Study: A Family Loss
Presented by
Adam Crawford
Robin Hamilton
Alex Johnson
Erin Sullivan

2. Setting Stevens Johnson College Midwestern Private University
Enrollment about 4,000 students
Heavily Residential
8 Greek orgs (85% student population)
Area Coordinator + 6 RAs per hall
Each Greek house has a Hall Director
Tight-nit, Familial community

3. Characters Dr. Graham, VP of Student Affairs (us)
RAs, House Directors, Area Coordinators
Chief of Police, Schiffelbein
5 Female Students in Incident
3 Deceased
1Resident Assistant
1Soccer player
2 Sorority members
President/Board Members

4. Stakeholders President RAs Board of Directors
Area Coordinator of the Hall
Student Body
Alumni
Chapter House Director
Community (media, members)
Sorority National Headquarters
Sorority members
Legal Counsel
Soccer Team/Ath. Dept
O’Leary Hall residents

5. Stakeholders Couseling & Testing Center Student Conduct Recruitment
NCAA
Police Department
Chaplain/Religious Faculty
Parents of Students Involved
Director of University Communications
Parents in general
White Water Rental Co
Greek Life Office
Admissions

6. The Story

7. Additional Info What was the nature of this event?
Time of year (recruitment?)
Who else was there?
What risk management steps were taken?
Did they get university approval? (registration form from University)
Were there waivers?
Who checked out the equipment (rental from, how many rafts, when were they checked out)?
Are all students accounted for on the rental form?
Who are these students?
What else are they involved in?

8. Key Actions/Decision Issues
Within 24 Hours:
Identify these students & who they were
Response to community/media
Interaction/Informing of parents & loved ones
Address to campus
What went wrong? Was there approval? What happened?
Legal boundaries

9. Solutions (24 hours) Contact Immediately: President Legal Counsel
Sorority National Headquarters
Greek Life Director, Sorority House Director
Residence Hall Director
Counseling Center Director
Parents, Loved ones, Roommates
Reasoning: Need-to-know Professionals/significant individuals

10. Solutions (24 hours) cont’
Appoint contact person for family
Family concerns/visitation/funeral attendance
Find out when the funeral service will be taking place
Visit hospital
Reasoning: Make personal connection to family/create open line of communication.

11. Solutions (24 hours) cont’
Instruct Dean of Students to:
Take care of student records
Contact college deans to encourage faculty to address & encourage discussion on issue. Postpone exams.
Chickering: Student/Fac Relationships & Curriculum
Evans, Forney, Guido, Patton, & Renn (2010)
Reasoning: Make personal connection to family/create open line of communication. Utilize faculty and classroom experience to help students cope.

12. Solutions (24 hours) cont’
Key Player Meeting including:
Pres. Of University,
Provost,
VP of Student Affairs,
Dean of Students,
Athletic Director,
Police Chief,
Soccer Coach,
Director of Communications,
Director of Counseling Center,
Director of Admissions (campus tour concerns)
Director of House Chapter,
Residence Hall Area Coordinator,
Greek Life Director,
Legal Counsel,
Reasoning: Discuss the situation and actions needed to take concerning each position.

13. Solutions (24 hours) cont’
Suspend all on-campus events for 24 hours, all off-campus events until further notice.
Reasoning: Create a somber atmosphere. Issue of safety and risk management.

14. Solutions (24 hours) cont’
Work with student leaders and closely connected students to the recently deceased to plan a student-led memorial service that afternoon.
Chickering: KI-Student Development Programs, Friendships and Student Communities
Evans, Forney, Guido, Patton, & Renn (2010)
Reasoning: Involving students in collaboration for support.

15. Solutions (24 hours) cont’
Classes are cancelled in the afternoon so that President can address the student body
Closed to non-faculty/students/staff
Followed by memorial service, introduced by Student Body President
Schlossberg: Context-close-nit, familial campus community
Evans, Forney, Guido, Patton, & Renn (2010)
Schlossberg, Waters, & Goodman (1995)
Reasoning: Respecting/nurturing the campus family.

16. Solutions (24 hours) cont’
Mobilize Counseling Center/Contact Campus Ministry for:
Soccer team
Sorority
Residence Hall
Any students, faculty, staff, and community
Puget Sound Crisis Management (2012)
Reasoning: Responding to campus community’s grieving needs.

17. Solutions (24 hours) cont’
President initially addresses media
All further communication through Director of Communications
Reasoning: More facts will be had, and we will have dealt with important contacts.

18. Key Actions/Decision Issues
3 months later:
Dealing with troubled students
Prevention
“Fun Police” Perception
Continue to support the healing
Moving Forward
Be sensitive to anniversaries

19. Solutions (3 months)
Trainings for Student Groups, Greek Organizations on alcohol & safety. Encourage student leaders to use multiple learning styles/techniques to enhance learning.
Kolb: Different learning styles. Concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, active experimentation. Lecture vs. discussion vs. reading
Evans, Forney, Guido, Patton, & Renn (2010)
Reasoning: Gives students ownership of the programs we are trying to implement.

20. Solutions (3 months)
Ensure that student support (counseling, RAs) is still available and prepared and successful for students. Encourage using Helping Models method. Intervention programs.
Follow-up plan for students (Anniversaries a year later)
Chickering: Student Dev. Programs; Schlossberg: Institutional Support, Helping Models: identify 4 S’s, your strengths, etc.
Evans, Forney, Guido, Patton, & Renn (2010)
Reasoning: Students develop at different rates.

21. Solutions (3 months)
Addressing “fun police” perception: Ensure students are a part of the solution when analyzing/developing/revamping Greek Life policies, for example
Schlossberg: Situation: redefining as student-guided
Evans, Forney, Guido, Patton, & Renn (2010)
Schlossberg, Waters, & Goodman (1995)
Reasoning: Giving students ownership of the policies and weight of the situation.

22. Solutions (3 months) Prevention:
Complete review, possible revamp of university policy to ensure proper risk management. Example: alcohol, off-campus policies, res life policy
Schlossberg: moving out
Crisis Management Committee/Team to help with this process consisting of students/faculty/staff.
Evans, Forney, Guido, Patton, & Renn (2010)
Schlossberg, Waters, & Goodman (1995)
Reasoning: Ensure proper risk management.

23. Solutions (3 months)
Develop curriculum to go before faculty senate for course to cope w/ death for students.
Chickering: managing emotions, Kolb’s Experiential Learning: students learn through different methods
Evans, Forney, Guido, Patton, & Renn (2010)
Reasoning: Provide learning experience to help student grow and cope with the situation.

24. Solutions (3 months)
Posthumous degree on students’ expected graduation dates. Add to policy if not already.
Schlossberg: Moving out
Chickering: EI: Institutional Objectives
Evans, Forney, Guido, Patton, & Renn (2010)
Reasoning: Honoring student’s work.

25. Solutions (3 months)
Work with Admissions/Recruitment to not avoid questions, explain the revamped/reviewed safety policies, parallel message with university
Reasoning: Produce message for those outside the university community.

26. References
Crawford, E. (2003, July 11). A course helps students learn to cope with death. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved November 7, 2012, from article/A-Course-Helps-Students-Learn/35341/
Emergency and Crisis Response (2012, January). In Puget Sound. Retrieved November 7, 2012, from response
Evans, N. J., Forney, D. S., Guido, F. M., Patton, L. D., & Renn, K. A. (2010). Student
development in college: theory, research, and practice (2nd ed., pp ). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass
Schlossberg, N. K., Waters, E. B., & Goodman, J. (1995). Counseling adults in transition:
Linking practice to theory (2nd ed.). New York: Springer. Retrieved September 10, 2012
Sacramento State University. (2009, January 27). Procedures Related to Student Death. In Policies and Procedures. Retrieved November 7, 2012, from Policies_Procedures/Student%20Death%20Procedures.html