In keeping with federal law, 20 U.S.C. § 1092j, the Office of Residence Life will initiate the following missing student notification protocol. Each student living on campus has the opportunity to list a missing persons contact by completing an emergency contact form available at the Office of Residence Life. When a student is reported missing, residence life staff will immediately contact the Pitt Police. The Pitt Police will attempt to notify the missing persons contact within 24 hours to verify if the person is missing or has voluntarily left their residence.
To report a suspicion that a student is missing, contact should be made with the student’s resident director, the Office of Residence Life, the Office of the Dean of Students, or the University of Pittsburgh Police Department. If you know a student is missing, contact the Pitt Police immediately.
- Each student living on campus has the opportunity to list a missing persons contact by completing an emergency contact form available at the Office of Residence Life or updating their emergency contact information within their housing application. Pitt will treat the named emergency contact as the missing persons contact unless otherwise specified by the student. The student should notify the missing persons contact and, if different, the emergency contact, that they have been so designated. In the event of a determination that a student is missing, the Pitt Police will attempt to notify the listed contact within 24 hours. Even if a contact is not registered, the Pitt Police should be notified immediately if the student is missing.
- At any point during a student’s enrollment, a student may choose to register or change missing person contact or emergency contact information with the University through their student record through their my.pitt account, and accessing Peoplesoft. This information will be maintained in student records accessible by University staff who will implement this protocol.
- Residence life staff, or other employees having knowledge of a missing student, whether or not that student lives on or off campus, will immediately contact the Pitt Police when a student is reported missing.
- The Pitt Police will be responsible for filing all related missing person reports with other agencies as may be required and conduct an investigation. Pitt Police will be responsible for contacting the local law enforcement agency within 24 hours of making the determination that a student is missing. In general, Pitt Police will consider a person to be missing if they have not been located within 24 hours of receiving the initial report.
- No later than 24 hours after a student is reported missing, the Pitt Police or its designee will be responsible for contacting the appropriate contact.
- The Pitt Police will notify a parent or legal guardian no later than 24 hours after a student is determined to be missing if a student is under the age of 18 and not emancipated.
- Residence Life staff will serve as support personnel when a student is determined missing and make appropriate contacts within the University (University Counseling Center, Office of the Dean of Students, academic dean of student’s school, and Pitt Police).