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Communications Guidance

Stakeholders on or off campus may expect the university or its leaders to comment on issues of the day or other developments. With these types of issues, we've adopted guidance outlined below that explains how and when we communicate on specific types of events.

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Effective communication maintains transparency, fosters trust and supports the emotional and mental well-being of our campus community. Our team strives to ensure consistent, accurate, and respectful dissemination of information to our community, especially on important and sensitive topics.

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Use the dropdown menus below to view general topics and the respective guidance issued for each.

As a standard practice, the university does not announce the death of a current student, and it does not identify or announce the cause of a student’s death. This approach is borne out of respect for the privacy of our families and those closest to a student who has died. 

However, because each student death is a tragic and unique situation, there may be cause for an exception to our standard practice that makes it necessary for university leaders to issue a public statement in connection with a student death, including but not limited to the following circumstances:

  • A statement by the university is deemed necessary because of the perception of an ongoing public safety threat.
  • The university receives a request from law enforcement to issue a message to the campus community.
  • The death becomes a matter of heightened public interest, and public comment by university leadership is deemed necessary or appropriate.

If practicable, statements should be made with the cooperation and consent of the student’s family. If a statement is deemed appropriate, the message will emphasize the availability of services and resources that help the campus community to process the loss of a student.

University employees will not address the cause of a student death, including in response to media inquiries. The university must defer to a medical examiner to make public any information about a person’s death or an official determination of the cause of death. 

When the university is asked about information on a specific student who has died, university officials can only provide what is allowed under federal privacy law, which is the information presented in the student’s public directory listing. The university cannot share such information if the student opted out of allowing such disclosures.