Newberry College

Under the Higher Education Opportunity Act, Newberry College is required to establish the following policy and procedures for student living on campus in the residence halls or college owned or operated houses. 

Newberry Missing Student Notification Policy

Each student living in an on-campus student housing facility has the option to register a confidential contact person to be notified in the case the student is determined to be missing and the only authorized campus officials and law enforcement officers in furtherance of a missing person investigation may have access to this information. Please note that even if the student does not register a contact person, Newberry College will contact the local law enforcement that the student is missing. The College will notify a parent or guardian of student who is less than 18 years of age and not emancipated.

Individuals will need to contact the following people if a student has been missing for 24 hours:

8:00 am – 4:30pm, Monday - Friday: Mr. Josh Barnes, Director of Residence Life 803-321-5148

On the weekend or after 4:30pm: Campus Security 803-940-0672

Students are required to complete the Student Identification form each academic semester, which will be kept in the student’s file in the Office of Student Affairs.

General Procedure

The Newberry College official receiving the report will collect and document the following information at the time of the report: 

• The name and relationship of the person making the report.
• The date, time and location the missing student was last seen.
• The general routine or habits of the suspected missing student (e.g. –visiting friends who live off-campus, working a job away from campus) including any recent changes in behavior or demeanor.
• The missing student’s cell phone number (if known by the reporter).

The Newberry College official receiving the report will contact the Residence Life staff member on duty and the Dean of Students in order to update them on the situation and to receive additional consultation. The Dean of Students will ascertain if/when other members of the college’s administration need to be contacted. Upon notification from any entity that a student may be missing, Newberry College may use any or all of the following resources to assist in locating the student:

• Go to the student’s residence hall room
• Talk to the student’s RA, roommate, and floor mates to see if anyone can confirm the missing student’s whereabouts and/or confirm the date, time, and location the student was last seen.
• Secure a current student ID from the Office of Student Affairs or other photo of the student from a friend.
• Call and text the student’s cell phone and call any other numbers on record.
• Send the student an email.
• Check all possible locations mentioned by the parties above including, but not limited to, library, residence hall lounges, Kaufmann Hall, etc. The Campus Security Department and the Office of Residence Life may be asked to assist in order to expedite the search process.
• Contact or call any other on-campus or off-campus friends or contacts that are made known.
• Ascertain the student’s car make, model and license plate number. A member of Campus Security will also check all college parking lots for the presence of the student’s vehicle.

The Newberry College Instructional Technology Staff may be asked to obtain email logs in order to determine the last log in and/or access of the Newberry network. Once all information is collected and documented and the Dean of Students (or her designee) is consulted, Newberry College staff may contact the local police to report the information. (Note: If in the course of gathering information as described above, foul play is evident or strongly indicated, the police can be contacted immediately.)