Cleveland Institute of Art Student Death Protocol

The CIA Student Death Protocol is compiled and disseminated by the Dean of Students in concert with key institutional partners. These protocols are intended to guide and support staff and faculty in addressing deaths of students that occur while they are actively enrolled at the College and/or on an active leave of absence. The College strives to act in a consistent manner when addressing student deaths, but the specific facts and circumstances of any situation may lead to an adjustment or adaptation of these protocols as necessary. The Dean of Students, or their assigned designee, holds the primary responsibility for implementing this protocol. In the event that the Dean of Students is unable to fulfill this role at the time of a student death, the Assistant Dean of Student Affairs will serve as the first designee. In the event that both the Dean of Students and Assistant Dean of Student Affairs are unable to fulfill this role at the time of a student death, the Director of Wellness + Accessibility Services will serve as the second designee. Please notify the Dean of Students immediately if you become aware of a student death.

Important Note: This protocol is not designed to provide information on handling emergency situations. In instances where an emergency is on-going and may result or has already resulted in a student death, CIA emergency protocols should be followed. This protocol is intended to be utilized following such instances and not during active emergencies.

Key Partner Notifications & Student Death Response Team Activation

1. Upon notification of a student death, the Dean of Students will confirm the information through reliable sources (law enforcement, hospital staff, or medical examiner) and will obtain essential details including but not limited to student name, ID number, circumstance of the death, location of the death, and date of the death. If death occurs abroad, refer to the Study Abroad section in the Administrative Action Checklist for additional guidance.
2. The Dean of Students will notify the College President, CIA Cabinet members, the Campus Safety + Security Manager, the Senior Director of Marketing, the Director of College Communications + External Relations, and the Digital Marketing Manager. Depending upon the circumstances of the student death, the College’s legal counsel may also be notified.
3. As a matter of practice, the College will allow law enforcement, hospital staff, or the medical examiner to make the first official notification of student death to families and/or emergency contacts. Once initial notification has been made, the Dean of Students will conduct outreach to the family and/or emergency contacts to share condolences, designate themselves as the primary point of contact, and gather any initial questions they may have. For additional information on family support, please see the section labeled “Family Support”.
4. The Dean of Students will convene the Student Death Response Team (SDRT) to assist in coordinating the College’s response. Members of the SDRT work together to ensure the College responds to the student death in a unified and appropriate manner. Membership of the SDRT is determined by the Dean of Students and may vary depending upon the circumstances of each student death. Typical core team membership includes:
   1. Dean of Students
   2. Campus Safety + Security Manager
   3. Director of Wellness + Accessibility Services
   4. CWRU University Health + Counseling Services
   5. Assistant Dean of Student Affairs
   6. Registrar
   7. Director of College Communications + External Relations

Student Death Response Team Responsibilities

The responsibilities of the SDRT may vary depending upon the circumstances of each student death, but generally include:

• On an initial and on-going basis, determine internal and external communications needs and develop and deploy said communications.
  • Important Note: Communication templates pre-approved by the College President + CEO, the Vice President of Enrollment Management + Marketing, the Senior Director of Marketing, and the Director of College Communications + External Relations will aid in the expedited development and deployment of these communications.
• Provide a recommendation to Cabinet regarding the cancellation or continuation of classes and campus activities. In the event that cancellation of classes is approved, the Director of College Communications + External Relations will follow the College protocol for informing the CIA community and media of class cancellations and will work with the Digital Marketing Manager to communicate updates to the College’s website and social media accounts as necessary.
  • Important Note: EAB does not recommend canceling classes except in extreme cases. Instead, individual accommodations are recommended for impacted parties. In the event the decision to cancel classes is made, optional support sessions for those impacted should be offered during these times.
  • If a student death occurs on a class/organization trip, provide a recommendation to Cabinet regarding the continuation or discontinuation of the trip and determine if additional on-site intervention is needed and provide a recommendation of who should be designated to provide such support.
• Delegate Administrative Action List responsibilities across SDRT members and maintain documentation of progress.
• On an initial and on-going basis, establish campus community support needs and develop and deploy support plan.
• Provide a recommendation to Cabinet regarding commemoration options and implement as appropriate.
• Maintain documentation of protocol enactment and record of actions.

Communications Guidelines

Internal Communications

1. In the event of an on-going threat to the College community, the Campus Safety + Security Manager will manage communications until threat is neutralized.

2. Campus-Wide Communications

   When no on-going threat is present, the Dean of Students and the Director of College Communications + External Relations, in coordination with the SDRT, will determine what and when notifications will be made to various members of the campus community. Information related to the student death may not be shared until the family and/or emergency contact are notified and investigations are completed. Additionally, the College respects the privacy of the student’s family and takes their wishes into consideration in regards to notifications including public announcements, such as a campus-wide notification. Along with campus-wide communications, the Dean of Students may designate members of the SDRT to make individual notifications to specific close contacts and affinity groups with the approval of the Director of College Communication + External Relations. All communications will emphasize the availability of postvention services and resources to assist in processing the loss of the student, will refrain from utilizing terms which may be misleading, create confusion, or admit liability (e.g., accident), and will not share the cause or manner of death. Specifically, noting the potentially harmful impact, campus-wide communications will not associate a student death with suicide.

3. Managing Non-Media Inquiries

It is not uncommon for College offices to receive calls and emails regarding a student death from concerned students, parents, and alumni. Please follow these general guidelines for managing these inquiries:

• If asked about specific details regarding the student death, notify the inquirer that we are not able to provide any information due to privacy laws and concerns.
• If concerned parents inquire as to why they or their child was not made aware of the student death, explain that the College operates with protocols in these situations including notification and support protocols for those impacted.
• If asked about resources or concerns for student wellness, provide the inquirer with the contact information for the Director of Wellness + Accessibility Services.

     4. Employee Expectations

College employees are asked to demonstrate sensitivity in their professional and personal communications about a student death by:

• Following the College’s lead in the extent of information shared in social media.
• Minimizing speculation or the spread of inaccurate information.
• Encouraging students and colleagues to utilize counseling services and other support services made available by the College.

As needed, these expectations will be reiterated to CIA employees by the SDRT in collaboration with Human Resources.

 External Communications

1. Public Statements

   Under no circumstance should any College employee, including student employees, make public comments or statements about a student’s cause of death to the media or on behalf of the College, unless specifically authorized to do so. Additionally, under no circumstances should any College employee involved in the CIA Student Death Protocol discuss a potential cause of death or confidential or private matters related to the student death with non-College officials or employees who are not involved in responding to the situation. This does not preclude designated College employees from providing care and support to impacted individuals without disclosing confidential or private information.

2. Managing Media Inquiries

   All requests for information from media should be immediately referred to the Director of College Communications + External Relations. If appropriate, the Director of College Communications + External Relations may prepare written statements about a student death that can be read or distributed to the media. These communications will emphasize the availability of postvention services and resources to assist the campus in processing the loss of the student. These communications may include information about the student’s relationship to the College – including but not limited to enrollment status, class year, and academic major – but will not include information regarding cause or manner of death. In instances in which a media outlet seeks comment from a CIA student or employee who knew the deceased student, the Director of College Communications + External Relations will evaluate the request and may offer to share – in collaboration with the Dean of Students or other members of the SDRT – the reporter’s contact information with potential sources. At no point will a potential source’s contact information be provided to a reporter in a student death-related inquiry.

3. Social Media Guidance

The College understands that social media allows for the rapid dissemination of information and misinformation and recognizes that information may begin to circulate on social media platforms before any official information can be released by law enforcement, the County Medical Examiner, or the College. In these instances, the College may address issues related to campus safety and student mental health for the overall well-being of the campus community. These communications may be campus-wide or targeted. The Director of College Communications + External Relations may work directly with the Digital Marketing Manager to monitor or respond to social media posts or comments about a deceased student (within the parameters outlined in this protocol). All College employees and students are strongly encouraged to avoid all social media communication about a student death, understanding that such communications may be deemed as insensitive to family, friends, and close contacts of the deceased student. Further, these communications may be mistaken as authoritative statements of fact of the official College message. Messages and comments received on college social media accounts are managed on a case-by-case basis. If you have questions or concerns about posts on non-College social media sites, please contact the Director of College Communications + External Relations.

Family Support

1. The Dean of Students, or their assigned designee, will serve as the primary point of contact at the College for the family of a deceased student. As requested by the family, the Dean of Students may assist with the following:
   • Coordinate with campus departments to conclude College business on behalf of the deceased student (e.g., Financial Aid, Student Accounts, Registrar, Housing).
   • Coordinate the collection and retrieval of the deceased student’s personal belongings from CIA academic buildings and residence halls.
     • Important Note: CIA is not able to assist in coordinating the collection and retrieval of items located off-campus including personal apartments and studio spaces.
   • Coordinate the collection and sharing of memorial items donated by the campus community in memory of the deceased student
   • For student death’s occurring off-campus including during study abroad experiences, CIA can provide family support in the form of information but is unable to provide financial assistance for family members wishing to travel, nor can CIA guarantee the reimbursement of any student travel experiences.
2. The College recognizes the support that grief counseling can offer to families in these situations; however, the College is not able to provide such services to the family.

Campus Community Support

The Student Death Response Team will coordinate support for CIA community members and groups affected by the student death. This may include coordinating with CWRU University Health + Counseling Services to provide on-site, in-person support services for students directly impacted by the loss. In the event of a student death by suicide, additional QPR resources, outside of those listed in this protocol, may be provided to the campus community. Additionally, the SDRT will make every effort to identify close contacts of the deceased student and provide specific supportive measures and resources as appropriate and available.

 When engaging with CIA community members and groups following the death of a student, the SDRT and those involved in providing support services will:

• Make timely contact with known friends of the deceased student.
• Encourage those impacted to express their feelings.
• Promote peer support among friends of the deceased student.
• Encourage the return to daily routines as soon as possible.

 For immediate mental health support, CIA students may wish to contact:

• CWRU Counseling Services at 216-368-5872 or use MyHealthConnect (utilizing a Case ID number) to schedule a same-day or next-day appointment.
• TimelyCare at timelycare.com/CWRU (utilizing a Case ID to log in).
• 988 Suicide + Crisis Lifeline by visiting 988lifeline.org for call, text, chat, and Deaf/Hard of Hearing options.

 For immediate mental health support, CIA employees may wish to contact:

• Human Resources at 216-421-7405 or [email protected] for the most up to date EAP information.
• 988 Suicide + Crisis Lifeline by visiting 988lifeline.org for call, text, chat, and Deaf/Hard of Hearing options.

Commemoration & Memorial Guidelines

1. Official Commemoration Options

The College does not host official campus memorials in instances of a student death; however, the SDRT may recommend any combination of the following commemoration practices to Cabinet. The SDRT will be responsible for implementing the chosen options.

• Showing support for family-planned services honoring the student, as determined by the family (e.g., flowers, donations, etc.).
• Sharing family-planned service information with the CIA community as deemed appropriate by the family.
• Supporting student organizations, student groups, or other CIA community members in their own initiatives to commemorate the deceased student, within reason, always upholding the need for equitable commemoration.
• Hosting a moment of remembrance at Commencement:
  1. If the deceased student was in their final year of coursework, host a moment of remembrance at the upcoming Commencement ceremony, regardless of the student’s eligibility for a posthumous degree.
  2. If the deceased student was not in their final year of coursework, host a moment of remembrance at the upcoming Commencement ceremony and at the Commencement ceremony during their scheduled graduation year.

 Important Note: The College recognizes the financial hardship of managing expenses related to a student death; however, the College is not able to communicate information regarding fundraising efforts (e.g., crowdfunding initiatives).

2. Impromptu Campus Memorial Guidelines

While the College recognizes that impromptu memorials may appear on campus to honor the deceased student, allowing memorials to remain in place for an extended period of time can prevent the community from healing. To facilitate forward movement in the grieving process, impromptu campus memorials will be removed no later than seven days after they appear. The DOS will work with the family contact to determine if the family would like to receive non-perishable items from the impromptu memorial. Information about the final date for collection of materials and what will happen to the collected items will be posted near the impromptu memorial prior to its removal. Please note, impromptu memorials which block free entry or exit from College buildings, interfere with the free movement of any person on College grounds or in College buildings, pose a hazard to the CIA community, or otherwise interfere with the normal business of the College may be relocated or removed without notice.

Citation: Portions of this protocol were derived from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Student Death Protocol and the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Student Death Protocol.