|
|
UC
Berkeley
> Guidelines
for Responding to Death
> Condolences |
|
|
Family members generally find comfort in condolences from friends and colleagues of the deceased. The coordinator should ask the designated family representative where they would like cards sent and if they want to receive phone calls from those on campus who knew the deceased. The coordinator will contact the appropriate vice chancellor to determine who will communicate university condolences to the family. It may be the chair, department head, director or the vice chancellor. This could be determined by length of employment or other criteria established by the vice chancellor. The vice chancellor should strive for consistency so the campus response is somewhat uniform. The Office of the President and the Chancellor's Immediate Office will send condolence cards. In special circumstances, the chancellor will call or attend a service at the request of a vice chancellor. If a death was sudden or unexpected, the appropriate person should call immediately then follow-up with a card. Remember that a family is already overwhelmed, and may not want to receive too many calls. Phone calls should be brief. The bereaved will remember the intent of the call, not necessarily the words spoken. Condolence notes can be brief but personal. Do not mention God or reflect your own religious beliefs unless that was a shared outside commonality with the deceased. Mention something special you will miss about the person or something the person contributed to the campus. The chancellor supports the use of departmental funds to send flowers or other appropriate gifts within the scope of applicable funding and personnel policy constraints.
[Home] [Site Index] The Guidelines for Responding to Death have been prepared at the request of the Chancellor by a campus workgroup made up of staff, student, and faculty representatives. Was this site useful to you? Your questions or comments can help us improve this resource for future users. Copyright 2002, The Regents of the University of California. |
