Missing Person Policy

In accordance with the Higher Education Opportunity Act, Westminster College has the following policy and procedure in place for reporting and investigating a report of a missing student:

If a Westminster student has not been seen on campus for more than 24 hours and community members do not know where the student may be or are concerned about their whereabouts, the Dean of Student Life should be notified. If this report is made after typical business hours, community members should immediately notify Campus Security at 573-592-5555 and they will be able to contact the Dean of Student Life, or their designee.

If the student of concern has been missing for 24 hours and is 18 or older, the College will notify the proper local authorities and cooperate with any initiated investigation. At this time, the College may also begin contacting close acquaintances of the missing student to assist with the investigative process.

If the student of concern has been missing for 24 hours and is under the age of 18, their permanent legal guardian will be contacted immediately by the Office of Student Life. After the permanent legal guardian has been contacted, the College will cooperate with both the guardian and the local authorities to pursue the appropriate course of action.

If community members are concerned about the student's whereabouts and feels that they may be in danger, they should immediately contact Campus Security, and/or the Fulton Police Department, or 911 if there is immediate, present danger.

De pending on the circumstances regarding the student's absence or status, the College reserves the right to notify parents and/or permanent legal guardian regarding the report of the missing student at any time, regardless of their age.