Checklist: Responding to a Student Death

In the unfortunate event of a student death, it is important for campus administrators to strike the right balance of empathy and professionalism in their response. Using this Cool Head, Warm Heart® approach, an institution can promote healing and trust by students, staff, and next of kin. However, failing to respond appropriately to a student’s death can lead to reputational damage, litigation, and campus division.

This checklist — designed to provide campus administrators guidance on how to consistently react with compassion — offers strategies to:

• Ensure relevant campus departments receive timely information about a student’s death
• Make sure the deceased’s family is notified and treated with compassion through difficult times
• Prepare or provide related helpful documents
• Gather and communicate information about the deceased student
• Support the campus community by seeking out those on campus who were close to the deceased, such as friends, teammates, siblings, or resident advisors
• Plan for memorial services