Returning to Campus after an Attempted Suicide, Alcohol or Drug Overdose, or Mental Health Hold

Dear Parents and Family Members of CSUMB Students,

The staff who work in the Division of Student Affairs care deeply for our students and are committed to maintaining their safety. Because of this commitment we have procedures to help students who are hospitalized for suicide attempts, alcohol or drug overdose or serious psychiatric illness. We believe it is important to advise you of our procedures before your student or family member arrives on campus.

The Dean of Students is responsible for initiating policies and procedures for decisions of continued enrollment and parameters for re-enrollment when a student has been hospitalized.

Once a student is released from the hospital they will be required to meet with the Dean of Students and [if a residential student] the Director of Residential Life [or designee].

If a residential student, the Dean of Students and the Director of Residential Life works with the Residential Life staff to contact the student as soon as they return to campus. The student will receive a letter from the Dean or the Director via First Class and residential students will also receive a hard copy of the letter posted on their door. The letter informs the student that they need to make contact and set up a meeting to discuss their residential and student status.

The purpose of the meeting is to determine the student's ability to continue enrollment and/or continue living on campus. A student's refusal to meet is a violation of the CSU Student Code of Conduct and the student can be referred to the Judicial Officer for possible sanctioning [sanctioning could include removal from campus housing or suspension from the campus].

Decisions regarding continued enrollment will be based on the appropriateness of the student's return to the academic and residential communities. The Dean of Students works collaboratively with the Personal Growth & Counseling Center and others in this process. The ability for the student to remain or return will be based on an evaluation by an outside mental health professional when appropriate.

Should a medical or administrative withdrawal be appropriate, the Dean of Students works with the student to complete the necessary paperwork through the University Registrar, PGCC, Student Disability Resources, etc. If the student lives on campus, the Dean of Students also coordinates with the Director of Residential Life to facilitate their release from their Housing License. All students are informed, in writing, by the Dean of Students of the requirements for returning to CSUMB.

Should the student be allowed to continue enrollment, the Dean of Students works with the other departments [PGCC, Residential Life, Judicial Affairs, etc.] involved to develop a behavioral contract with the student. Violations of this contract will be handled by the Judicial Officer.

The staff of the Division of Student Affairs are committed to the development of the whole person: academically, personally, socially, spiritually and physically. While we hope incidents such as these do not occur, we recognize and value the involvement of parents and other family members to assist in the best care your student.

Sincerely,

Caroline Haskell, LCSW,BCD

Interim Associate Vice President for Student Affairs

Posted on Sep 23, 2010 -