Missing Student Notification
The University of Houston-Clear Lake is committed to creating and maintaining an institutional environment that promotes the safety and well-being of its students. To this end, Student Housing and Residential Life has established an internal policy statement and process designed to identify and assist enrolled UHCL students who reside in on-campus housing and who have been reported missing for more than 24 hours. This policy statement is enacted in compliance with the requirements outlined in the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 and The Handbook for Campus Safety and Security Reporting.
Student Housing and Residential Life's missing student notification procedures will go into effect within 24 hours of the determination that a student who lives in on-campus student housing has been missing for 24 hours.
- All on-campus residents will be informed that they have the option to identify an
individual that the institution can contact no later than 24 hours after the time
that the student is determined to be missing.
- Student Housing and Residential Life will provide each on-campus resident a method
of registering confidential contact information for the individual that they identify
as the person to be contacted in the event that they are determined to be missing
for more than 24 hours. This process is made available in the RMS Housing management
system.
- Student Housing and Residential Life will inform each on-campus resident under the
age of 18 (who is not emancipated) that they must register contact information for
a custodial parent or guardian to be contacted in the event that they are determined
to be missing for more than 24 hours.
- The University of Houston-Clear Lake will notify the local law enforcement agency
within 24 hours of the determination that the resident is missing, unless the local
law enforcement agency was the entity that made the determination that the resident
is missing.
- Any person who suspects that an on-campus resident has been missing for more than
24 hours should immediately contact UHCL Public Safety (281-283-2222), Student Housing
and Residential Life (281-283-2615), or the Dean of Students office (281-283-2567).
Any information regarding a suspected missing student provided to Student Housing
and Residential Life or the Dean of Students office will be immediately reported to
UHCL Public Safety. In the absence of UHCL Public Safety, the Houston Police Department
(the local law enforcement agency) should be notified (832-395-1777).
- If an investigation conducted by UHCL Public Safety concludes that the subject of
a missing student report has been missing for more than 24 hours and has not returned
to campus, UHCL Public Safety will initiate communication with the missing student
notification contact that the on-campus resident has designated. Student Housing and
Residential Life will be responsible for providing access to this information to UHCL
Public Safety on a 24-hour, seven-days-a-week basis through its on-duty or on-call
staff.
- If the on-campus resident who is the subject of a missing person report has not designated a missing student notification contact, UHCL Public Safety will conduct an investigation using guidelines established by the Texas Department of Public Safety Bureau of Information Analysis Missing Person Clearing Housing Unidentified Persons/DNA Unit.