Wellness check remains despite questioning

After a student was found dead in his dorm room last month, some students have questioned the university’s wellness check policy. Jill Church, associate director of Residence Services, said the policy has not changed.A wellness check occurs when the university receives a call from a family member of a student saying he or she hasn’t heard from the student in a while, Church said.

The behavior the student exhibits has to be abnormal or out of character for that student. For example, if a student calls home everyday but suddenly stops for two weeks straight, then this is considered abnormal behavior.

When a wellness check is requested, the university calls the resident’s RA to see if he or she has seen the student, Church said. If yes, the university tells the RA to let the student know his or her parent is trying to reach them. If no one has seen the student recently, the RA is asked to leave a note in the resident’s room. The resident’s parents are then notified to contact police if they still haven’t heard from the student.

“It’s normal for parents to worry about their son or daughter if they haven’t heard from them in a while, especially if they are a freshmen,” Church said. “But most of the time, the student had their phone off, left it somewhere or have just been so busy they forgot to call.”

Logan Lab, senior medical technology major, said he thinks it’s the student’s responsibility to make consistent contact with friends and family.

“The university should not be held responsible if a student goes missing,” he said. “We’re all adults, and we don’t need the university to baby-sit us.”

John Beedlow, sophomore education major, said last month’s incident hasn’t swayed his view of the university or its wellness check procedure.

“What happened to that student, I think, was just a freak accident,” he said. “It hasn’t made me think twice about letting people know where I am at all times. I keep in contact with the people that I need to, and I think that’s all you can do.” Kara Kozikowski, junior international relations major, said she thinks wellness checks should be for extreme cases only. “I go days sometimes without talking to my mom or my roommates,” she said. “I usually just get so caught up studying or working on a project that I forget. Most students get so wrapped up in what they have going on that they hardly notice that they haven’t spoken to anyone in days.”

As busy as many students are this late into the semester, Kozikowski said she thinks it’s important for students to keep in correspondence with family and friends at least once a week to let them know they’re okay.