FOCUS: Life Support

Help is thereHelp is therewhen friends andHelp is therewhen friends andfamily dealHelp is therewhen friends andfamily dealwith the deathHelp is therewhen friends andfamily dealwith the deathof student When an unexpected tragedy strikes a University student, Barbara Cassel and Maureen Rush spring into action. The Assistant Vice Provost for University Life and Victim Support Special Services Director work together to address the needs of the students' friends and family. And Cassel said the vast extent of support services the University provides is "somewhat unique." "Some other schools provide some of the services, but I don't think they provide the whole range of services," she said. Cassel said she first saw the need for someone to handle these logistic and support services early in her tenure at the University, recalling an incident 18 years ago when she was working for a campus police detective and a student died from natural causes. The student's parents wanted to donate her organs, but had problems making the arrangements because they did not have a good command of the English language and no University officials were responsible for assisting the parents. "I always thought that if I was in the position I would make sure families would not have to go through this red tape," Cassel said. "When I was appointed to the position of Staff Assistant in the Provost's Office and was given the opportunity to help students in the community, I was grateful to be able to fulfill one of my goals." And many students are grateful that the University provides these services. College junior and Sigma Alpha Epsilon brother Joe Ayoob received support from Cassel after Justin Koppel, a College junior and SAE brother, died in a Florida car crash during Spring Break. "I was really impressed," he said. "It made things a lot easier. It was nice to know that there was someone higher up who really cared." In an emergency situation, Cassel and Rush are usually notified by campus police or hospital staff if a student has been killed or is in critical condition. "Depending on what the circumstances are, there is a whole range of people who provide support," she said. Cassel said there is a handbook that outlines 10-15 procedures for the "point person" to follow. The point person is the one who coordinates the follow-up and notification and pulls together a response team. Cassel or the University chaplain usually serve as the point person, according to Rush. Cassel said the University provides a complete range of support services. "Over the course of the last nine years that I have been doing this, the range of activities has spanned a continuum to actually having to notify families myself to just intervening in ways to make alternative living arrangements for roommates," she said. She added that she has developed a checklist because there is so much that needs to be done, including meeting with the family, arranging for their travelling and accommodations, informing students and close friends, following up with the school and registrar, arranging for the settlement of financial matters and shipping belongings. The first course of action is to determine whether the family has been contacted. Rush said this is generally taken care of by the hospital or Philadelphia Police. But she added that Cassel has had to break the news to parents in the past. The next step is to determine what the circumstances of the incident were and who requires support, Cassel said. "You have to do some investigating and probing," she added. If the tragedy affects a large community -- such as a fraternity or sorority, or a student in residence -- Cassel said she and Rush convene a meeting and ask the University Counseling Service employees to work with students to discuss their feelings. Resources are also available to students through the Women's Center, various University religious services and Student Health Services. Cassel added that while the Chaplin is the official University religious leader, if the student is involved with Hillel or the Newman Center, she will notify those offices as well. Cassel added that, depending on what the family wants, the University will provide services ranging from packing up the students belongings to arranging for a funeral director. "[We do this] so that the family does not have to deal with the added details when they are grieving for their son or daughter," she explained. Cassel said she sometimes has to provide the family with a place to stay in Philadelphia. In cases when an international student is involved whose family cannot come to Philadelphia, Cassel has served as the executor of the victim's estate. The executor is responsible for closing bank accounts and canceling utilities and other financial situations. She added that becoming the Executor of Estate involves a difficult process including arranging for a death certificate. If the student is from another country, it is rare that he or she will be buried in the United States, Cassel said. In this case, they work with the Office of International Programs to make proper arrangements. "Often we make plans for a funeral director to cremate the body here and ship the remains," she said. "Sometimes families don't have the means to ship the remains. Then I have to make [insurance] arrangements to handle details." Cassel said she also notifies the individual school that the student has passed away so bursar bills are cancelled. "It can be very devastating to a family to receive a bill several weeks after their son or daughter has passed away," she said. And she said her office must sometimes contact the school if close friends of the student need special consideration with their studies because they cannot concentrate or sleep. She added that she sometimes finds it helpful to plan a memorial service to celebrate the student's life. "That seems to be something that helps in the healing process," Cassel said. If a student died as a result of criminal activity, Cassel said they work with a special division of the District Attorney's office to provide up-to-date information for friends and family. She added that in these cases the University will provide transportation to the courts to people who want to participate in or observe the proceeding. With the murder of fifth-year Mathematics graduate student Al-Moez Alimohamed last September, she contacted the Mathematics Department and set up a meeting with people from his school, faculty and other students, Cassel said. The group also included officials from University Counseling, Victim Support and representatives from University Police. Cassel added that her department maintains contact with the students for as long as they need support, adding that she often develops relationships as a result of her intervention. She said she still keeps in touch with a student who, in her freshman year, was the driver of the car in which two students were killed. "I stayed with her until she graduated," Cassel said. "And I still hear from her." She added that she is still handling a situation involving the sister of an international student who died last year. "It takes as long as it takes," Rush said. "We continue to follow the students and give whatever support we can until they are on their feet. And then hopefully they come back to visit and say 'hi.' "