Review of Comprehensive Resource on Crisis Management for the International

Student and Scholar Services Office

Resource: NAFSA: Association of International Educators
NAFSA is a non-profit professional organization
for professionals that address many facets of
international education. One facet being:
helping/crisis management for international
students and student affairs administration.
NAFSA works with The Knowledge Community
for International Student & Scholar Services (KC
ISSS) Subcommittee on Crisis Management,
who is charged with serving as rapid
responders by distributing information and
creation of resources when a crisis occurs.

Plan Ahead

Crisis management should being before a crisis happens. Planning in advance is key by
making sure that students and SA professionals have the resources they need, open
lines of communication, and clearly outlined responsibilities. Preparing for a crisis
before it occurs will improve the process for the students, SA professionals, and the
institution. Before a crisis occurs its helpful to ask:

Which student is your office responsible for, and what is your responsibility regarding
crisis management?
How do you determine institutional responsibility?
What resources on and off campus are available?
o Campus health insurance/healthcare office
o Campus Risk management
o Stave-level care available to international students
Are students/SA professionals given resources in advance that will help them
respond to a crisis?
What are the potential consequences of using particular resources?
o Immigration
o Financial
o Academic
o Legality
What kinds of relationships do you need to build in advance to handle crises?

What are the established lines of communication on your campus for student and
employee emergencies? Is your international office a part of that communication
plan?
Who may need to be contacted on and off campus when an emergency happens?

Manage

SA professionals working in the international studies office should be well prepared in
crisis management. SA professionals should have clear understanding of: resources,
responsibilities, communication and relationships. SA professionals can avoid spending
precious time gathering information during a crisis if properly prepared to manage it.
During a crisis situation its helpful to ask:

Whats the nature and the severity of the emergency?

o Separate Fact/fiction
o Document incident: notes, sources, when info was obtained
o Ask for contact info from source
o When to take action: Deliberation? Or immediate response?
What type of student is affected? (International, exchange, degree-seeking,
sponsored, etc.)
Is there anyone else involved in the crisis?
What resources are available and apply to the crisis?
o On campus
o City, state, and federal resources
Who are you required to inform?
o Consider FERPA and HIPPA laws
o Emergency contacts
What are the immigration consequences of the crisis?
o How much time do we have before it has to be reported to SEVIS?

Reflect

What can we learn from a crisis? After a crisis has occurred we can reflect and learn
and better outline responsibilities. Yes, mistakes can be made and yes, sometimes

plans dont go accordingly even with when we carefully plan for and manage the
situation. No crisis can be managed perfectly but we as SA professionals can work to
improve our abilities to manage them effectively and learn from previous situation.
When reflecting its helpful to ask:

Do we need to do a follow up?

o Concerns for well-being
o Counseling services
o Thank those involved with managing crisis
o Culturally sensitive follow up with family/friends of student if appropriate
What documents need to be filed?
Can something be done to prevent a similar crisis in the future?
What has your institution learned?

Potential Crisis
Situations
As SA professionals we can compile a list of potential crisis situations and how to react
to them based on previous experience. When a crisis occurs with an international
student on campus many crisis situations may be similar to crisis protocol aligned with
assisting the general student body on campus. However, we need to especially take
into account safety, consequences, and legal matters when managing crisis situations
with international students. Some potential crisis situations with international students
could be:
Arrest of Non-Immigrant Student
o Consider FERPA laws when engaging in conversation with student
o Immigration status complications
o Student should seek counsel with criminal and immigration law
o Offer to assist student in seeking counsel
o Notify necessary offices, academic and SA professionals in the institution
o Per students request, notify their academic advisor in event of possible
absenteeism
o Talk with authorities to gain insight on the situation
o Arrested by campus or local police?
o The student may go through both campus discipline process as well as
court system at the same time
o How will this affect the student?
o What governing bodies does the incident need to be reported to? SEVIS
status
Crisis in Students Home Country
o Utilize campus health/counseling services

o Determine if student needs additional support from a friend or a form of

outside support
o Contact on campus organizations and learn ways they and you can assist
the student
o Contact local immigration communities
o Provide embassy/consulate contact information
o Research and provide students with financial resources available if
necessary
o Help students get involved in aid efforts
o Do not speak with media without consent from the institutions Public
Affairs
International Student Death
o Follow FERPA laws, create student case file
o Contact highest level of administration to handle communication with
family, embassy, campus relations, and media.
o Consult your institutions legal counsel if death occurred on campus
o Contact counseling services
o Consult with faculty and resident halls for debriefing of the incident
o Have those interesting in hosting memorial services consult with family (be
mindful of cultural differences regarding death and grieving)
o Discuss formal announcement
o Offer condolences in a culturally appropriate manner
o Organize the gathering of students belongings
o Determine what departments handle proper documentation and SEVIS if
necessary
Missing International Student
o Use on campus emergency services and create a case file
o Use directory information, know FERPA guidelines
o Gather as much information as possible about the student to determine
the last time that student had contact with others.
o Try to contact the student by means of phone, text, e-mail, etc
o Request a welfare check by local police if student doesnt respone within
24 hours of contact
o E-mail staff members regarding the situation
o Reach out to the students professors and fellow student community by email
o Reach out to students personal connections: roommates, dependents in
US, friends, student organizations, etc
o Notify campus police and housing staff
o Trace students digital footprint
o If student lives off campus, contact local police and request welfare check
o Contact family and embassy
o If the student is found, consider the students needs of possible:
healthcare, mental healthcare, and legal assistance
o If student is not found after exhausting all efforts, file an official missing
persons report.