Risk Management

Student Events 

Registered Student Organizations (RSOs) may use campus facilities to hold events and conduct activities subject to the availability of space and campus practices and procedures. RSO’s must, at a minimum, complete the following steps in order to schedule and use campus facilities:

1. SCHEDULE FACILITY: Determine which department is responsible for scheduling the facility that it wants to use and work with that department to schedule the facility. Here is a list of locations on campus (this list may not be comprehensive):

• ASUCR Bears Den (RSOs only)
• Hospitality Services
• Highlander Union Building
• School of Medicine
• Student Recreation Center

2. FACILITY USE PERMIT: Obtain a signed facility use permit or other form of facility reservation confirmation from the department in charge of the facility that the RSO wants to use.

3. INSURANCE: Obtain and submit a Certificate of Insurance that provides evidence that the registered student organization has insurance which complies with insurance requirements. Visit Campus Connexions for more information on how to obtain this coverage. (For certain low-risk activities, e.g. meetings, lectures, seminars, teleconferences, the RSO may not be required to obtain a certificate but it is necessary to go through the RSO Insurance application process described below to see if this applies to a specific activity).

Event Insurance

Since RSOs are independent entities, they are not covered by the University’s Insurance Programs. But events and activities have the potential to create injury and property damage and, without insurance, injuries or damages that occur at events could impose financial liability on the student clubs and its officers. To protect from this exposure to liability, the University has worked with its broker, Marsh Risk Services, to establish the CampusConnexions Insurance Program. Go to CampusConnexions for more information. The CampusConnexions Program can provide with Event Liability Insurance that covers events. When RSOs insure their activities through this program, officers and members protect themselves from personal liability for their organization’s activities. 

Eligibility 

Only Registered Student Organizations can obtain Event Insurance from the CampusConnexions Program.

• Student organizations that are not RSOs are not eligible for and cannot get Event insurance from the CampusConnexions Program.
• Student organizations that have their own insurance, e.g. fraternities, sororities, are not eligible for RSO Event Insurance. If such a group is sponsoring an on-campus event, it must ask its national organization to provide evidence of insurance.
• Individual students are not eligible for and cannot get RSO Event insurance from the CampusConnexions Program.
• Student organizations that want to hold an on-campus event, do not have liability insurance, and are not eligible for RSO Event Insurance, may apply for CampusConnexions Tenant User Liability Insurance. 

Campus Events 

In most cases the University will pay for Event Insurance for on-campus events and activities; most of the time it doesn’t cost anything. Most exceptions will involve high-risk events. When RSOs insure their activities through this program the officers and members are protected from personal liability for their organization’s activities. However the coverage is not automatic; Student clubs must apply for and obtain the insurance. Student organizations should apply for coverage far enough in advance so there is enough time to deal with problems but not so far in advance that plans might change; about 7-10 days before the event is about right. For more information about this coverage and the application process, go to CampusConnexions .

Off-Campus Events 

The CampusConnexions Insurance Program also provides RSO Event Liability Insurance for off-campus events and activities. The cost of Event Insurance for off-campus events must be paid by the student clubs. Payment is by credit card only. The University does not require student clubs to obtain insurance for off-campus events. However, it does recommend that obtaining this coverage to offset the potential liability their activities give rise to, especially when their events involve physical activity, transportation, or minors. In some cases the off-campus facilities where student organizatins hold their events may require them to provide evidence of coverage. In that case the RSO will have no choice but to purchase it. The cost of coverage, in most cases, will be in the $100-$125 range, but it will vary depending on the nature and duration of the activity and the number of participants. Student organizations should apply for coverage far enough in advance so there is enough time to deal with problems but not so far in advance that plans might change; about 7-10 days before the event is about right. For more information about this coverage and the application process, go to CampusConnexions. 

Coverage Limits

The RSO Event Liability Insurance policy provides the following coverage:

The RSO Event Liability Insurance policy does not provide coverage for:

• Automobile Liability
• Workers' Compensation
• Liquor Liability
• Travel Insurance

Certificates of Insurance

• A Certificate of Insurance is a document that provides evidence that the has event liability insurance and the Certificate Holder (either the University of California for on-campus events or the facility owner for off-campus events) is covered if the event or activities cause injury or damage.
• If the RSO event is on-campus and low-risk, a Certificate of Insurance will not be issued.
• If the RSO event is moderate or high risk and on-campus, the RSO will be issued a Certificate of Insurance, which it must copy and provide to the appropriate campus office. Questions about the Certificate of Insurance can be referred to the Marsh Student Coverage Line toll-free at 866.838.9536 between 6 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.
• If the RSO event is off-campus, the RSO will be issued a Certificate of Insurance, which it must copy and provide to the facility owner. Questions about the Certificate of Insurance can be referred to the Marsh Student Coverage Line toll-free at 866.838.9536 between 6 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.
• The RSO should retain a copy of the Certificate for its own records. It should be retained for at least three years after the conclusion the event. (After the event, it may be retained as a scanned form).

Risk Assessment

Risk assessments are part of daily life. When we look both ways before crossing the street, we're conducting a risk assessment. Similarly, when planning an event, it is advisable for the RSO to conduct a risk assessment to determine what risks are involved in the planned activities. The term "risk assessment" makes the task sound complicated and time-consuming. But it needn’t be. For most activities, it takes a couple of minutes to identify the major risks of a particular activity and the steps that can be taken to reduce or eliminate those risks. For information on how to conduct a simple risk assessment, visit UCOP Risk Assessment Tools website.

More Than One Activity

When completing the RSO Event Insurance application, it is necessary to provide a description of the event. If the event involves different activities, identify the most important activity and use that to describe the whole event. For example, if the RSO is sponsoring an all-day conference with a one-hour cultural show at the end, describe the event as a conference. If no single activity is most important and it is not clear how best to describe an event, questions can be referred to the Marsh Student Coverage Line toll-free at 866.838.9536 between 6 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through Friday for advice.

Co-Sponsored with Another RSO

Each Registered Student Organization must provide evidence that it is covered. Each must separately apply for coverage and obtain its own Certificate of Insurance. The same applies for off-campus events.

Co-Sponsored with a Department 

The University will require evidence that the RSO is covered by its own liability event insurance. Campus departments are automatically covered by the University's own insurance. The student clubs will have to apply for coverage and obtain its own Certificate of Insurance. Keep in mind that a campus department co-sponsor must take an active role in scheduling and organizing the event and have at least one employee on-site supervising the event as part of his or her job. Providing funds for or advice about an event does not constitute sponsorship.

Co-Sponsored with an External Group

Both the RSO and the external organization must provide the University with Certificates of Insurance prior to the event as evidence that they are insured. The external organization is not covered by the event liability insurance. If the organization does not have insurance, it can obtain Tenant User Liability Insurance (TULIP) through the CampusConnexions Program or the external organization can call Marsh at 866-838-9536. For more information about this coverage and the application process, go to Event Liability insurance.

The University requires a Certificate of Insurance from the external organization that meets the following requirements:

• The External Organization must be listed as the Named Insured.
• The REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA and the RSO must be listed as "Additional Insureds".
• The Insurer/Producer name and contact information must be on the Certificate.
• The policy start and end date must cover the date of the RSO event.
• The certificate must show General Liability coverage at $1,000,000 per occ./$2,000,000 gen. agg.
• The certificate must show Automobile Liability coverage at $1,000,000 CSL if the External Organization is bringing vehicles onto campus.
• The certificate must show Workers' Compensation coverage if the external organization has employees.
• The Certificate must provide for advance written notice of any change or cancellation of any component of the insurance coverage.

Food

Campus rules allow registered student organizations and their members to bring food that they have prepared to events. Prepackaged food and food that is purchased from a restaurant or store, and picked up by members, can also be brought to an event. RSO’s can also sell food for fundraising purposes, but such sales must comply with the safe food handling procedures and be authorized by the Environmental Health & Safety. If an student clubs wants to use a caterer, the caterer must be approved. Go to Food & Drink for more information about caterers and how they are approved to provide catering services at RSO and University events.

Vendors

When vendors are used at a registered student organization event, they must provide the University with a Certificate of Insurance prior to the event. Vendors are not covered by event liability insurance. If a vendor does not have insurance, it can obtain Event Vendor/Exhibitor Liability insurance through the CampusConnexions Program or call Marsh at 866-838-9536. For more information about this coverage and the application process, go to Vendor/Exhibitor Event Liability insurance.

The University requires a Certificate of Insurance from vendors that meets the following requirements:

• The vendor must be listed as the Named Insured.
• The REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA and the RSO must be listed as "Additional Insureds".
• The Insurer/Producer name and contact information must be on the Certificate.
• The policy start and end date must cover the date of the RSO event.
• The certificate must show General Liability coverage at $1,000,000 per occ./$2,000,000 gen. agg.
• The certificate must show Automobile Liability coverage at $1,000,000 CSL if the service provider is bringing vehicles onto campus.
• The certificate must show Workers' Compensation coverage if the service provider has employees.
• The Certificate must provide for advance written notice of any change or cancellation of any component of the insurance coverage.

Minors

Registered student organizations that sponsor activities involving minors should be aware of the risks that such activities create for both the minors and the student clubs. When sponsor activities involving children, it is their responsibility to reduce and mitigate the risks by following guidelines and rules of behavior that protect minors and decrease the liability exposures that programs involving minors give rise to. In addition, student clubs can further improve the safety of such programs by being familiar with and employing basic risk management practices. For more information about best practices and risk management in activities involving minors, please contact Risk Management.

Waivers of Liability

Registered student organizations that sponsor events that involve physical activity, e.g. foot races, basketball tournaments, baseball or football games, etc., or minors, must always require the participants, or in the case of minors, their parents or guardians, to sign a Waiver of Liability prior to participation. For more information on the rules and requirements involving the use of and retention of Waivers of Liability, go to Waivers of Liability. 

No Coverage​​

If coverage is not available through the CampusConnexions Program, Marsh will try to obtain coverage from another source. The Registered Student Organization will have to pay for the coverage. If Marsh cannot find coverage or the RSO does not like the quote, the student clubs can shop elsewhere.