Monday, August 26, 2019

Tips for returning college students


We are undergoing our annual incursion of new and returning students to our three universities, Northern Michigan University, Michigan Technological University, and Lake Superior State University. Among all of the other things that students and parents will be thinking about, these two should be included: 

A medical authorization form. A student who is 18 years old is an adult. If he or she encounters any illness or injury and as a result is unable to provide consent directly, a treating hospital or physician is not permitted to give medical information to a parent. Having a signed medical authorization form in hand will remove this obstacle - treating doctors will be able and willing to talk with the parent and provide the needed information. We have developed a HIPAA-compliant medical authorization form that can be used for that purpose. It is carefully written so that providers are authorized to speak to the parent about illness or injury, but not about routine matters such as sexual health, contraception, and the like. 

Auto-related injuries. If an out-of-state student is involved in a Michigan accident involving a motor vehicle but is not the owner of the vehicle, he or she may be entitled to Michigan no-fault benefits, either from the insurer of one of the motor vehicles involved in the accident or, in certain circumstances, from the Michigan Assigned Claims Facility. Those no-fault benefits may well be more advantageous than the benefits offered under other auto insurance available to the student. 

"Ghost Hacking" - a new BOLO

A relatively new way cyberthieves steal wealth is by taking over the identities of people after they die, an act known as ghosting or ghost ...