Presented at the ACUI Annual Conference in 2014, Katie Wilson and I discuss risk management strategies for student organization and college union professionals.

1. Risk Management: Assessment,
Education, & Action
Katie Wilson | Director, Armstrong Student Center | Miami University
Ryan O’Connell | Product Manager | Campus Labs

2. We hope that you are excited to learn this morning.
We know that people learn and process in different
ways, if you're the type to take notes or tweet from
your mobile device we understand. But please be
respectful of your neighbors and turn off any
audible alerts.
Our session will include opportunities for you to
interact using an audience response tool. You can
access the tool at: http://mysav.es/click
Connect ID: 1054

3. Session Goals
• Provide an overview of current issues in student
organization risk management
• Demonstrate how to use online tools to help student
organizations understand university policies and
manage risk using rubrics and criteria-based questions
• Share several approaches to developing a policy for
student organization insurance and utilizing technology
to implement the policy, including challenges and keys
to success

4. CURRENT ISSUES IN STUDENT
ORGANIZATION RISK MANAGEMENT

5. Resources
Bickel, R. and Lake, P. (1999) Rights and Responsibilities of the Modern
University: Who Assumes the Risk of College Life? Durham: Carolina
Academic Press.
Arroyo, M. and Farley, M. (2012) Weighing the Risk. Campus
Programming. NACA, May 2012.
Magna Publications. (2006). Risk Management for Student
Organizations: Putting it in a Student Development Perspective.
Student Affairs Leader. 34 (7).
National Center for Student Leadership (2010). Risk Management for
Student Organization Advisors. National Center for Student Leadership
White Paper. Madison, WI.

9. Institutional Liability Reduction
• Limit exposure to the first $1million in liability
• Motor pool
• Vendor insurance verification and minimums
• Student organization relationship to university
– Sponsored, Recognized, Voluntary, Affiliated, Non-affiliated,
etc…
– High-risk organizations
– Christian Legal Society v. Martinez
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Legal_Society_v._Martinez
• Student organization event insurance
– Politics
– Cost

10. APPROACHES TO USING
TECHNOLOGY TO ASSESS RISK

12. Classic examples of risk “assessment”
• Checklists
• Follow-up survey
• Planning forms
– Choose your own adventure
• Advisor training
– If you see something, say something
• Event coordinators or committees
• Registration processes
– Disconnect from venue bookers vs. student activities administrators
• Liability
• Student training
– Assessment of learning about risk

16. MIAMI UNIVERSITY
Case Study

17. Issues at play
• How do we account for 400+ currently
constituted orgs?
– What mechanisms do we put in place?
• Assessment
– Leadership training EBI results
• Polices and procedures
• Event registration requirement
• Insurance pioneer in OH

18. Creating “The Hub”
miamioh.edu/hub
• Issues at play in moving online
• Non-risk motivators

20. Rubric Basics
A Direct measure of an intended outcome
Does this event require additional risk management?
Do the indicated risk management actions appropriately mitigate
risk?
Requires observation of the subject being measured
Converts qualitative observation into quantitative score
Consistency in scoring is important
Hence an automated process for common situations
Can also be used to measure student learning

22. EMERGING ISSUES IN RISK
MANAGEMENT

24. Entrepreneurship
• How do entrepreneurship groups pose risk to the
institution?
• Ownership of business ideas
– What constitutes an early-stage investment?
• Who “owns” entrepreneurship team coordination on
campus?
• Balance between engaging alumni and protecting
students
http://duhatch.pratt.duke.edu/current-teams/

25. https://students.ucsd.edu/student-life/involvement/organizations/events/insurance.html

27. DISCUSSION

28. Additional links
About us
www.linkedin.com/pub/katie-wilson/6/aa/481
www.linkedin.com/in/higheredryan/
Issues
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aggie_Bonfire