Purpose

The death of a student is a profound loss for the student's family, friends, classmates, faculty, staff, and the University community. Bay Path University is committed to responding with compassion, dignity, and respect while providing coordinated support to the student's family and those affected by the loss.

This policy establishes the University's general approach to responding to the death of a currently enrolled student, including institutional coordination, communication, academic review, and consideration of posthumous recognition. Detailed operational procedures are maintained by the Office of Student Life & Engagement in coordination with Academic Affairs and other administrative offices.

Scope

This policy applies to all currently enrolled Bay Path University students. While the University's response is guided by the same principles of compassion, coordination, and respect, operational procedures may vary based on the student's academic program, campus location, residential status, or instructional modality.

Reporting and Verification

The Office of Student Life & Engagement serves as the University’s central point of contact for reports involving the death of a student and is responsible for initiating the institutional response following verification.

Any member of the University community who becomes aware of the death of a student should notify the Office of Student Life & Engagement as soon as possible.

Before institutional action is taken, the Office of Student Life & Engagement will make reasonable efforts to verify the student's death through an appropriate source, such as a family member, emergency contact, law enforcement agency, medical facility, obituary, or other reliable source.

Following verification, the Office of Student Life & Engagement will initiate the University's coordinated response in accordance with this policy and the University’s Student Death Response Procedures.

Roles and Responsibilities

The Office of Student Life & Engagement leads and coordinates the University’s institutional response to the death of a student and designates the University’s primary family liaison.

The Office of Student Life & Engagement will convene a Critical Student Incident Response Team to coordinate the University’s response following the death of a student. Each participating office is responsible for carrying out its institutional responsibilities in accordance with this policy and the University’s Student Death Response Procedures.

The Critical Student Incident Response Team will include representatives from the University’s CARE Team and additional administrative and academic offices, as appropriate, based on the circumstances of the student’s death. Team membership may expand to include other University staff whose expertise or operational responsibilities are needed to support the University’s response.

The Critical Student Incident Response Team serves as the University’s coordinating body for institutional response activities. The Team does not replace the responsibilities or authority of individual University offices.

Institutional Response

Upon verification of a student’s death, the Critical Student Incident Response Team will convene to coordinate the institutional response in collaboration with Academic Affairs and other appropriate administrative offices. 

The Critical Student Incident Response Team will establish response priorities, assign institutional responsibilities, and coordinate response activities based on the circumstances of the student’s death, the needs of the student’s family, and the operational needs of the University.

The University’s coordinated response may include, but is not limited to, the following activities:

• Coordinate communication with the student’s family or legal representative
• Facilitate academic review and decision-making
• Coordinate administrative actions across the appropriate University offices
• Determine appropriate internal communications
• Coordinate support resources for students, faculty, and staff affected by loss
• Consider memorial or institutional recognition, when appropriate
• Facilitate review of eligibility for a posthumous degree, when applicable

Family Communication

The Office of Student Life & Engagement will designate a primary institutional liaison for the student’s family or legal representative.

The designated liaison will assist the family with the following: 

• Navigating applicable University processes
• Answering questions regarding University processes and available resources
• Coordinating communication with appropriate University offices as needed

Whenever possible, the University will seek to minimize the number of offices contacting the family directly.

The designated liaison will serve as the primary point of contact for the family throughout the University’s response and will coordinate communication with other University offices on the family’s behalf.

Academic Review

Upon verification of a student's death, Academic Affairs and the Office of the Registrar will review the student's academic record to determine any remaining academic or administrative actions that may be appropriate.

The review may include, but is not limited to:

• Current enrollment status
• Graduation and posthumous degree eligibility when applicable
• Outstanding coursework or incomplete grades
• Other academic matters that require institutional review

The purpose of the academic review is to identify any remaining academic, administrative, or recognition-related actions that may be appropriate following the student’s death.

Community Notification and Memorial Considerations

The University recognizes that the death of a student may affect classmates, faculty, staff, and others within the University community.

The Office of Student Life & Engagement, in consultation with Academic Affairs and other appropriate offices, will determine whether internal notification is appropriate based on the circumstances of the student’s death, the family’s wishes, when known, and the educational or operational needs of the University community.

The Critical Student Incident Response Team will determine communication responsibilities based on the circumstances of the student’s death, the needs of the University community, and the roles of the participating offices.

As appropriate, designated members of the Critical Student Incident Response Team may coordinate communication with the student’s family, faculty, academic advisors, staff, students, student organizations, and other members of the University community.

Whenever possible, the Office of Student Life & Engagement will consult with the student's family regarding public acknowledgment, memorial activities, or other forms of institutional recognition and will make reasonable efforts to honor the family’s wishes while balancing the University’s educational, operational, and legal responsibilities.

Posthumous Degrees

Bay Path University may award a posthumous degree to recognize the academic accomplishments of a student who dies before completing all degree requirements.
Academic Affairs and the Office of the Registrar will review the student's academic record to determine whether the student meets the University's eligibility requirements for a posthumous degree.

Eligibility Criteria for a Posthumous Degree

To be recommended for a posthumous degree, the deceased student must have been in good academic, disciplinary, and financial standing at the time of their passing, and must have met the following academic progress thresholds:

Undergraduate Students

The student must have completed a minimum of 75% of the requirements for their undergraduate degree and maintained a minimum cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 2.0.

Graduate Students

The student must have completed at least 75% of the requirements for their graduate degree and maintained a minimum CGPA of 3.0. For doctoral candidates, the student must have successfully advanced to candidacy or completed significant, demonstrable progress on their capstone or dissertation, as determined by the Program Director.

If a posthumous degree is awarded, the Office of Student Life & Engagement, in coordination with Academic Affairs, will communicate with the student's family regarding acceptance of the degree and any opportunities for Commencement or participation in other institutional recognition.

Once approved, the Office of the Registrar will update the student’s permanent transcript to reflect the degree awarded, appending the standard institutional notation: "Degree Awarded Posthumously."

Related Procedures

The Office of Student Life & Engagement, in collaboration with Academic Affairs and other administrative offices, maintains the University’s Student Death Response Procedures.