Policy CMB – Records Management of Deceased Person 

Purpose:

In the event of the death of a person associated with South Plains College, the proper notification channels must be followed in order to respect the decedent’s next of kin and to ensure all of the appropriate departments have been notified.

 

Person Types:

South Plains College classifies any person associated with the college as one of the following person types in the Ellucian Colleague ERP system: 

• Friends of the College (e.g., donors, etc.)
• Former Students (i.e., alumni)
• Current Students
• Employees (current or former; full- or part-time)
• Multiple Person Types - it is conceivable that a person may have more than one person type. The primary or most applicable record type will take precedence over any other type. For example, if a person was a full-time employee at the time of death and was also a former student, as well as a current donor, the Office of Human Resources would be the initial point of contact. Once the initial office has completed its coding, other offices are notified through the process outlined below.

 

Reporting Knowledge of Deceased Persons:

Notices of the death of a person associated with SPC may come in the form of a phone call, email, copy of an obituary, or via mail and should be directed to the following offices based on record type: 

• Former Student (i.e., alumni)
• Current Student 

Office of Admissions and Records Procedure:

Upon receipt of notification, the Dean of Enrollment Services or designee will research the student’s standing with the college. A formal email, providing instructions on how to process the death will be sent to the following offices once official/acceptable documentation is received. The Office of Admissions and Records will make all necessary adjustments to student records in the student information system. 

* Student Financial Aid
* Business Office - Student Accounts
* Dean of Students
* Information Services
* Institutional Research
* Health and Wellness (Counseling Services and Student Health Services)
* Human Resources (for student employment)
* Advising and Testing
* Scholarship Office/Institutional Advancement
* President’s Office

 

Per the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) regulations: 

Under common law regarding privacy rights, the privacy interests of an individual expire with that individual's death. Accordingly, the disposition of records held by an institution and pertaining to a deceased individual is not a FERPA issue but a matter of institutional policy. Because FERPA would no longer apply, the institution may exercise its own discretion in deciding whether, and under what conditions, information should be disclosed to survivors or other third parties. 

Questions on the release of information for deceased students should be directed to the Office of Admissions and Records.

 

• Employees (current or former; full- or part-time) 

Office of Human Resources Procedure:

Upon receipt of notification, the Director of Human Resources or designee will research the employees’ standing with the college. A formal email, providing instructions on how to process the death will be sent to the following offices once official/acceptable documentation is received. The Office of Human Resources will make all necessary adjustments to employment records in the human resource information system. 

* Institutional Advancement
* Admissions and Records (if a former or current student)
* President’s Office

 

•  Friends of the College 

Office of Institutional Advancement Procedure:

Upon receipt of notification, the Vice President for Institutional Advancement or designee will research the friend’s standing with the college. A formal email, providing instructions on how to process the death will be sent to offices or individuals who have a need to be notified once official/acceptable documentation is received. The Office of Institutional Advancement will make all necessary adjustments to records in the institutional advancement system. 

 

Acceptable Documentation for Reporting Deceased Person 

Acceptable documentation for coding records can be a notification from the deceased person’s family accompanied with an obituary or copy of an official death certificate. 

 

Notification in the Ellucian Colleague Student Information System

Changes to the person’s records in the Ellucian Colleague system should follow the procedures outlined in the Ellucian Colleague CORE and Advancement Deceasing Workflow found online in the Ellucian HUB.

 

Approvals: Executive Council 2/25/2019