Death

Death can be the result of natural or accidental causes; it can be the result of a suicide or a homicide. This document does not address the crisis management that is needed to prevent a death; it assumes that the death has occurred. Every case will be different. Professional judgment is needed in each and every case.

Primary Response Team

New York Tech campuses: Office of Campus Security
- Long Island residences: University police
- New York City residences: 911
Local law enforcement and emergency responders
Office of the Dean of Students staff/coordinator of campus operations and student services staff

Secondary Response Team

Office of Strategic Communications and External Affairs
Office of Counseling and Wellness Services staff
Office of Enrollment Services
Office of Housing and Residential Life staff
Office of Human Resources
Office of the President
Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs

Objectives
To initiate and coordinate an official internal notification and response process in the event of a a New York Tech community member death. The purpose is to respond to death within the community in a caring and timely fashion that avoids unnecessary burden for those handling the personal affairs by promptly informing appropriate school administrators to act accordingly where there is operational responsibility for the person's academic, financial, residential, or contractual relationships with the institution.

Notification

On-Campus Death: Call 911. Follow the established chain of primary responders. The Office of Campus Security will be the first New York Tech responders in all emergency events and should be notified immediately. Contact New York Tech officials in the immediate vicinity to help secure the situation until local law enforcement or campus security arrive.
Off-Campus Death: There is no way to predict who will learn first of off-campus deaths. Community members who learn of the death of a student or staff or faculty member should notify the appropriate New York Tech official: the Office of the Dean of Students for student deaths, the Office of Human Resources for staff or faculty deaths.

Procedures for an On-Campus Death

For community members:

Call 911
Call the Office of Campus Security/local law enforcement:
- Long Island: 516.686.7789
- New York City: 646.273.7789
- Central Islip: 631.348.7789
- Long Island residences: 516.876.3333
- New York City residences: 911
Do not allow anyone to enter the area or touch the victim or any property. Do not conduct searches.
Write down the names of any individuals who were present at the time of death or when the body was found.
Remain on campus and available to answer law enforcement questions.
Reach out to the Counseling and Wellness Center or the Office of Human Resources for support if necessary.

For primary responders:

Respond to scene; initiate emergency response phone chain by calling the director of facilities operations and the dean of students, if student death, or the Office of Human Resources, if staff or faculty death.
Do not allow anyone to enter the area or touch the victim or any property. Do not conduct searches.
Write down the names of any individuals who were present at the time of death or when the body was found or who inadvertently entered the scene before local law enforcement arrives.
Cooperate with, aid, and assist the primary investigation agency according to procedures governed by federal, state, and local law.
Assist the police in determining victim's identity, local (residence) address, next-of-kin, and college affiliation.
Refer all inquiries from the media to the Office of Strategic Communications and External Affairs
Refer all legal professionals to New York Tech general counsel.

For Dean of Students:

Verify the student's identity, address, and college affiliation.
Coordinate all contact involving students and New York Tech community members.
Contact the assistant provost for student engagement and development, the director/associate director of housing and residential life, the director of counseling and wellness services, the appropriate academic dean, student's professors, and the Offices of the Registrar, Financial Aid, and Bursar.
Request Counseling and Wellness Center provide "crisis" and "grief" support services for community members.
Ensure the completion of necessary documentation.
Verify notification of next-of-kin.
Secure the personal property of the deceased, for later disposition to the estate.
Refer all inquiries from the media to the Office of Strategic Communications and External Affairs.
Refer all legal professionals to New York Tech general counsel.

For Office of Human Resources:

Verify the staff or faculty member's identity, address, and college affiliation.
Contact the appropriate supervisor, academic dean, department head, and vice president.
Ensure the completion of necessary documentation.
Verify notification of next-of-kin.
Secure the personal property of the deceased, for later disposition to the estate.
Request Counseling and Wellness Center provide "crisis" and "grief" support services for community members.
Refer all inquiries from the media to the Office of Strategic Communications and External Affairs.
Refer all legal professionals to New York Tech general counsel.

Procedures for an Off-Campus Death

For community members:

Notify the appropriate New York Tech official of the death:
- Student deaths: contact the Office of the Dean of Students
- Staff or faculty deaths: contact the Office of Human Resources

For Dean of Students:

Verify the student's identity, address, and college affiliation.
Coordinate all contact involving students and New York Tech community members.
Contact the assistant provost for student engagement and development, the director/associate director of housing and residential life, the director of counseling and wellness services, the appropriate academic dean, student's professors, and the Offices of the Registrar, Financial Aid, and Bursar.
Request Counseling and Wellness Center provide "crisis" and "grief" support services for community members.
Ensure the completion of necessary documentation.
Verify notification of next-of-kin.
Secure the personal property of the deceased, for later disposition to the estate.
Refer all inquiries from the media to the Office of Strategic Communications and External Affairs.
Refer all legal professionals to New York Tech general counsel.

For Assistant Provost for Student Engagement & Development:

After the family has received official notification of the death, serve as the official primary New York Tech contact for the family of the deceased student. (If a student dies from natural causes in the care of an attending physician and the cause of death is not suspicious, the attending physician is responsible for notifying the family. If it is a suspicious death, it becomes the coroner's responsibility to notify the family.)
Meet with family members should they decide to come to campus.

For Office of Human Resources:

Verify the staff or faculty member's identity, address, and college/department affiliation.
Contact the appropriate supervisor, academic dean, department head, and vice president.
Ensure the completion of necessary documentation.
Verify notification of next-of-kin.
Secure the personal property of the deceased, for later disposition to the estate.
Request Counseling and Wellness Center provide "crisis" and "grief" support services for community members.
Refer all inquiries from the media to the Office of Strategic Communications and External Affairs.
Refer all legal professionals to New York Tech general counsel.

Follow-Up:

Contact with family to arrange for return of personal property.
Provide information to the college community as appropriate for dealing with a crisis on and off campus.
Contact the offices of the Registrar, Bursar, Financial Aid, Payroll, Housing and Residential Life, Alumni Affairs, Library circulation, International Education, and any other office that could potentially send out information to a student or staff or faculty member.