Missing Student Policy

I. Purpose
UNC Asheville believes that the personal and physical safety of the university community is a shared responsibility. As such, this policy communicates the established policy and process protocol the University has developed to guide our response to any report of a missing student. It further establishes criteria for students to engage in personally responsible behavior by providing accurate and timely information to the University related to emergency contact information.

II.Scope
The Missing Student policy applies to all UNC Asheville students. The policy requires all employees and students to report concerns or information related to any concerns of a missing student.

III. Missing Student Concerns
If a member of the University community has any reason to believe that a student is missing they must immediately notify University Police. University Police will initiate a preliminary investigation immediately and determine the scope of the investigation based on the circumstances. A student shall be deemed missing when they are reportedly absent from the University for more than 24 hours without any known reason. University Police in collaboration with the Dean of Students office will use the following protocol when responding to reports of missing students:

A. Missing Student Protocol
a Attempt to make contact with the student reported missing through the use of social media, email, and all available telephone numbers.

b. Go to the student’s known address and attempt contact in person.

c. Interview roommates, suitemates and students residing with and near the missing student to determine the student’s last known whereabouts

d. Review the student’s RockyCard access if the student lives on campus to establish a timeline of events of the students’ activities when appropriate and applicable in helping to determine their whereabouts.

e. Review the student’s class schedule and check for the student in the classroom(s)-if applicable.

f. Contact faculty members regarding attendance and possible contact.

B. Notifications
If a student is determined missing:

a. Notification to appropriate agencies, per state and local law, will be handled by University Police.

b. University Police will notify the Asheville Police Department, Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office and other appropriate agencies prescribed by state and local laws. University Police will work in conjunction with these agencies as necessary to find the missing student.

c. The Dean of Students or their designee will notify the emergency contact, familial and/or parental notifications the student provides.

d. Nothing in this policy restricts UNC Asheville from making notifications earlier than noted above if the circumstances warrant. UNC Asheville reserves the right to contact any individual if it is deemed necessary to prevent harm to the student or others.

IV. Emergency Contact Information
The safety of our community is a shared commitment that requires individuals to keep updated emergency contacts information in the University’s database system. Students should update this information at the beginning of each academic year and/or when changes are made to ensure appropriate notifications in the event of an emergency. Students may select if they wish to keep this information private when they submit the information through OnePort.

Oneport can be accessed here and instructions for using OnePort can be found through Information and Technology Services. Failure to provide accurate information to the University will delay notification in the case of a missing student and prolong the University’s response to reports of missing students.

A. Emergency Contact Process
At the beginning of each academic year, all students will be notified of the following:

a. Students have the opportunity to identify an emergency contact(s) through their OnePort account.

b. UNC Asheville will notify the emergency contact(s) within 24 hours of the determination that the student has been determined to be missing by law enforcement.

c. Contact information will be private and will be accessible only to authorized UNC Asheville officials. It will not be disclosed except to law enforcement personnel involved in a missing person investigation.

d. For students who are 18 years of age or older, this notification to emergency contact(s) will be done within but no later than 24 hours after the student is determined to be missing.

e. For students under 18 years of age and not emancipated, UNC Asheville must notify the student’s custodial parent or guardian within 24 hours of the determination that the student is missing and will also notify the student’s emergency contact.

f. UNC Asheville will also notify the appropriate law enforcement agency within 24 hours of the determination that the student is missing whether or not the student identifies an emergency contact.