Key takeaways:
- Metropolitan State University of Denver has a new process for responding when a student may be missing, with the Dean of Students Office coordinating the University’s response.
- Employees should report concerns immediately because there is no waiting period for a missing-student report.
- The process and related University policy align with a new Colorado law establishing requirements and timelines for responding to missing-student reports.
MSU Denver has a new process in place that establishes what faculty and staff members should do when they learn a student is missing or cannot be located.
The process and related University policy align with a state law enacted this year that outlines how colleges and universities respond to missing-student reports, including specific timelines for conducting a preliminary wellness assessment and notifying law enforcement.
“The safety and well-being of our students are always our top priority,” said Taylor Tackett, associate vice president for Student Engagement and Well-being and dean of students. “When someone is concerned about a student, we want to know as soon as possible so we can respond quickly, coordinate the appropriate resources and do everything we can to make sure that student is safe.”
At MSU Denver, the Dean of Students Office will coordinate the University’s institutional response to missing-student reports, including outreach, documentation, preliminary wellness-assessment activities, emergency-contact notification and coordination with law enforcement, Tackett said.
What employees should do
If anyone tells you that an MSU Denver student may be missing or cannot be located, please:
- Report the concern immediately to the Dean of Students Office by completing this form.
- Do not wait 24 hours or any other period of time before reporting. There is no waiting period for a missing-student report.
- If there appears to be an immediate threat to the student’s health or safety, contact the Auraria Campus Police Department at 303-556-5000 or call 911 and notify the Dean of Students Office as soon as possible.
- Provide the Dean of Students Office with the information you received, including when you received the report and who provided it.
- Do not independently investigate the student’s disappearance. The Dean of Students Office will coordinate the University’s response and determine the appropriate next steps.
- If the Dean of Students Office contacts you as part of a preliminary wellness assessment, please respond as promptly as possible and provide information you have about the student’s recent attendance, participation, communications or known whereabouts.
Why prompt reporting matters
Under Colorado Senate Bill 26-120, state colleges and universities must respond to a missing-student report by initiating a preliminary wellness assessment or immediately contacting the appropriate law-enforcement agency.
If MSU Denver initiates a preliminary wellness assessment, state law generally allows no more than six hours for that process. If the student cannot be located within that period, the University must notify the appropriate law-enforcement agency. Law enforcement may be contacted sooner when there is credible evidence of a risk to the student’s safety.
The six-hour timeline begins when an employee receives the missing-person report. That makes it essential for faculty and staff members who receive such a concern to inform the Dean of Students Office quickly.
What happens after a report?
Upon receiving a report, the Dean of Students Office will coordinate the University’s response.
Depending on the circumstances, that may include attempts to contact the student, determining whether the student is at their residence, contacting faculty members or others who may have recently interacted with the student, coordinating with Student Housing when applicable, contacting the student’s designated emergency contact and notifying law enforcement.
As part of that assessment, the Dean of Students Office might contact faculty or staff members who have recently interacted with the student. Employees who are contacted should respond as promptly as possible and provide any information they have about the student’s recent attendance, participation, communications or known whereabouts.
Employees should share only information reasonably necessary to help locate and protect the student. The Dean of Students Office will coordinate documentation and disclosures in accordance with FERPA and other privacy requirements.
Questions?
Employees can review MSU Denver’s Missing Student and Preliminary Wellness Assessment Policy for additional information.
Questions about the process or how to report a concern may be directed to Taylor Tackett, dean of students, at [email protected] or 303-615-1048.
