If a student is thought to have been missing from a residence hall community for 24 hours or more, a report should be made to the Resident Assistant (RA), Hall Director (HD), Director of Housing & Residence Life, Director of Public Safety, Vice President of Student Affairs, or the Department of Public Safety (DPS). There is no requirement that a student be missing for 24 hours in order to file a missing student report. Reports will immediately be forwarded to the on-duty Department of Public Safety Officer. If a missing student report is made to an individual/office noted above other than DPS, the matter will be immediately referred to DPS. Upon receiving a report, the on-duty Department of Public Safety Officer will immediately initiate an investigation. Local law enforcement agencies will be notified of the missing student by the entry of the missing student’s information into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database for missing persons.
Immediately upon a student being reported as missing, the on-duty Department of Public Safety Officer will contact the Director of Public Safety, Director of Housing & Residence Life, and Vice President of Student Affairs/Dean of Students or designee to determine how best to proceed, including notification of any person(s) the missing student might have earlier opted to list with the College, as “contact person(s).” This “confidential contact” may be different from any general emergency contact that the student may also identify and the College will not assume that a general emergency contact is also the missing person contact. These contact person(s) information will be kept confidential and disclosed only to authorized campus officials and law enforcement for the purpose of a missing student investigation. If a missing student is under 18‐years of age and not emancipated, the student’s custodial parent or guardian will be notified within 24‐hours of a determination that the student is missing, in addition to notifying any additional contact person designated by the student. Regardless of whether the student has identified a contact person, is above the age of 18, or is an emancipated minor, the College will inform local law enforcement that has jurisdiction in the area within 24 hours that the student is missing.
Students can register a confidential contact at any time in the Office of Student Affairs. Missouri Valley College will advertise students the opportunity to have a confidential contact at the beginning of the Fall and Spring Semesters.