When students are absent due to a crisis situation or unexpected illness and unable to contact their individual instructors directly, the Dean of Students Office can send out an Emergency Notification.

What is an Emergency Notification?

• An e-mail notification from the Dean of Students Office to a student's faculty members and academic advisers. A copy of this message is sent to the student, as well.
• An announcement that an emergency situation (their own hospitalization, assault, accident, death in the family, etc.) prevents students from contacting instructors directly and may also prevent them from fulfilling their academic responsibilities.
• A source of information so faculty can anticipate the absence and, sometimes, can know when to expect the student to return to class.
• A written reminder that students should work directly with instructors to determine how to complete any missed course work during the absence.

Each instructor has the authority to make decisions about students' absences and how the absence will affect students' grades. The Dean of Students staff encourage faculty to keep in mind that students who utilize the emergency notification service are typically recovering from a crisis and would benefit from appropriate consideration.

How to initiate an Emergency Notification

Contact the Dean of Students by phone at 515-294-1020 or by e-mail dso-sas@iastate.edu. Be prepared to provide a detailed description of the emergency circumstances, as well as a reasonable explanation as to why the student is unable to contact their instructors directly. If posssible, please include the length of time the student will be absent from classes.

When the student returns to the University

• The staff in Student Assistance typically contacts students after the emergency notification process to offer support and assistance as students resume their academic responsibilities. Knowing each student's situation helps us provide the immediate help needed and to be better prepared when the student is able to return to class.
• Instructors may also contact the student directly to discuss the student's responsibility for completing missed course work, as well as any documentation required when the student returns.
• Because the staff in the Dean of Students Office does not investigate prior to sending out an Emergency Notification, students should be prepared to provide documentation verifying the reasons for their absence when requested by instructors.

Emergency Notification Guidelines

• An Emergency Notification is NOT appropriate for non-emergency situations (e.g. car problems, planned absences, minor illnesses, or a past absence).
• An Emergency Notification is NOT a request or mandate to excuse an absence. (This decision is the sole responsibility of the instructor to determine.)
• An Emergency notification is NOT a requirement for students. If a student contacts instructors about an emergency situation directly, it is not necessary to involve the Dean of Students Office as you arrange to resolve the absence. Instructors are always welcome to share information with the Dean of Students staff about any student concern.
• An Emergency Notification is NOT verification that the information the student has provided is true. (Documentation should be provided by the student upon request.)

Please note: the Dean of Students Office staff does not investigate when students request an Emergency Notification. We do ask for enough details from students to assess the situation and offer advice about what should be done to make their transition back to class easier. However, we do not contact hospitals, doctors, police, family members, etc. to assess the validity of an absence prior to sending out an Emergency Notification. We inform students that it is their responsibility to have appropriate documentation available when their instructors request it.