When a student dies, on or off campus, the university decides on a case-by-case basis whether to announce it.
Ball State talks to the family before deciding whether to tell the community, said Tony Proudfoot, a university spokesperson.
“It is common that families wish to have their privacy, and that of their student, maintained and respected,” Proudfoot said.
Family members typically tell the university if a student has died off campus. If the death is on campus or near campus, the University Police Department or Delaware County officials will let Ball State know.
After Ball State student Toby Wilt died, the university sent a notice of the senior’s death to 21 departments through a memorandum from the Office of Student Affairs. It was then up to the discretion of the departments to inform others.
Sometimes, the university notifies through email any students who may have known the person who died. Ball State did this for students on one floor of Studebaker West Complex to let them know when their floormate freshman Elija Swager died in March in an off-campus apartment.
Proudfoot said the Office of Vice President for Student Affairs sends out notices to offices and personnel relevant to the student who died, including the student’s academic dean and department chair, the registrar’s office, the bursar’s office, housing and residence life and dining.
This protocol for notification changes depending on if a student dies on or off campus.
At Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., the procedure is for the Office of the Dean of Students to send an email notification with a formal notice of death. Around 40 faculty and staff members receive this email after the family has been notified, said Elizabeth Kozik, interim associate dean of students at Purdue.
If the student lives on campus, Purdue residence life staff members notify roommates and floormates in person.
While Ball State may not directly inform students, it provides services for family and friends, Proudfoot said.
The university offers help in setting up and publicizing memorials or vigils arranged by the students. However, the university will step back if the family wishes to maintain privacy.
The policy for a faculty member’s death is the same for a student.
When Wilt died, the university emailed his roommates to tell them about counseling services.
Meghan Wolfe, one of Wilt’s best friends, reached out to counseling services when she heard the university had contacted his roommates. Wolfe said she will go to counseling, and the center has emailed her teachers.
Wolfe said she thinks the university handled Wilt’s death well.
Sammie Hopkins, a freshman elementary education major, found out Wilt died over Twitter a week later. She said while she didn’t know Wilt, the university should send out notifications in case people knew the student.
Mark McCabe, a Ball State student, said he didn’t know a student had died.
“They are a part of my community, and I want to support them by reaching out or praying,” McCabe said.
Proudfoot said sending a mass email to the entire university would be assuming the family sought that form of attention.
“The loss of a someone so young is a particularly difficult event,” he said. “It is not unusual for families to seek privacy so they can grieve without a great deal of attention.”
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