Missing Student Notification Policy 

Anchorage Campus Residential Community

The Anchorage campus maintains a missing student notification policy and protocol for students who live on campus.

Missing Person Reports

If a resident has been missing or is believed to have been missing for 24 hours, individuals should report this to Residence Life or the University Police Department (UPD). UPD may be contacted 24 hours a day at (907) 786-1120. Residence Life may be contacted at (907) 751-7202 during business hours. During non-business hours, individuals may contact the Resident Advisor (RA)-On-Duty for their area.

Every report of a missing student must be forwarded to one of the entities listed above regardless of how long the student is believed to have been missing. Individuals should not wait a full 24 hours to make a report.  

Once University officials receive a report that a student may be missing, they will immediately notify UPD. If University officials and/or UPD determine that a student is indeed missing, they will contact the Anchorage Police Department (APD) within 24 hours of when that determination is made and proceed with the missing student notification protocol. The only instance in which APD would not be contacted is if APD was the entity that made the determination that the student is missing.

Should a missing person report be filed on a resident's behalf, Residence Life will gather information from the individual reporting the missing person and University databases, to include details about the reason for the report and any information that can be gathered about the missing student such as:

• Personal description;
• Clothing last worn;
• Locations where the resident may be;
• Vehicle descriptions;
• Information concerning the physical and mental well-being of the student;
• Up-to-date photographs;
• Class schedule; and/or
• Information from roommates, witnesses or other persons with knowledge that may be useful in locating the resident.

Residence Life staff may use any or all of the following actions to assist in locating the student:

• Go to the student's room and if the student is not present, enter the student's room with UPD present;
• Talk to the resident's roommates or other known associates;
• Secure a photo of the student;
• Call or text the student's cell phone;
• Call other phone numbers on record;
• Send the student an email;
• Check all possible campus locations the student may be; and/or
• Check the student's vehicle.

Along with notifying UPD and APD, Residence Life staff will notify the resident’s confidential missing person contact and, if the resident is less than 18 years of age and not emancipated, the resident’s custodial parent or guardian. This notification will occur within 24 hours of determining that the student is missing.

Missing Persons Confidential Contact

A Check-in Form is required prior to initial move-in and at the beginning of each academic year, at which time residents may annually identify a missing-persons confidential contact to be notified within 24 hours if the student is determined to be missing. Students are informed that the missing-persons confidential contact information will only be used by authorized campus officials and law enforcement officers during a missing persons investigation and will not be disclosed in any other instance. The resident may choose to have the confidential contact be different or the same as their emergency contact.

Residents may make changes to their emergency contact and confidential contact information in their Housing Self-Service Portal on UAOnline (under Personal Information) or at the Residence Life Information Desk in the Gorsuch Commons.

For all missing students, regardless of age, UAA will notify APD within 24 hours of the determination that the student is missing, unless APD was the entity that made the determination that the student was missing.

Residents Younger than 18 Years Old

Residents who are younger than 18 must provide emergency contact information for a custodial parent or guardian at the time they apply for campus housing.  Students are advised that UAA campus professionals must notify both the resident's custodial parent or guardian and their additional confidential contact within 24 hours when a resident younger than 18 years old and not emancipated is determined to be missing.

Missing Students Procedures

Should University officials and/or UPD investigate and determine that a residential student is missing, contact will then be made to the resident’s confidential contact, if that contact information has been provided, within 24 hours of the determination that the student is missing. If the student is under the age of 18 and is not an emancipated individual, University officials or UPD will notify the student’s parent or guardian and any other designated contact within 24 hours.  

Regardless of whether the student has identified an emergency and/or a confidential contact, is above the age of 18, or is an emancipated minor, UAA will inform the Anchorage Police Department that the student is missing within 24 hours.