Risk Management
Risk management is an important component of any event. Event organizers should consider the possible risks present to participants at their event and take resonable precautions to ensure the health and safety of all present. Two common components of risk management are event insurance (required for all on-campus events) and liability waivers.
The Office of Risk Managment has a helpful Student Event Coverage FAQ that may answer any questions you have about risk management for your event.
If you have any additional questions about risk management, contact the LEAD Center (lead@berkeley.edu, 510.642.5171, 102 Hearst Gym) or the Office of Risk Services (risk@berkeley.edu, 510.642.5141, 131 University Hall).
Event Insurance
Registered student organizations are independent entities and therefore, are not covered by the University of California's own insurance programs. This can be a problem for both students and the University because:
- The students may have to rely on personal or family financial resources to defend a claim or lawsuit arising out of their activities.
- The University has no financial recourse when its property is damaged by student activities or when it receives a claim or lawsuit arising from student activities.
To remedy this problem, the University has purchased a commercial insurance policy to cover virtually all on-campus events hosted by registered student organizations. To obtain a Certificate of Insurance for an event, start by visiting the Marsh CampusConnexions website or call the Marsh Student Coverage Line toll-free at 866.838.9536 (open Monday through Friday, 6am-3pm). Organizations holding low-risk events may not have to receive a Certificate of insurance because coverage is automative. Low-risk events include:
- Meetings
- Lectures
- Receptions
- Seminars
- Teleconferences
Liability Waivers
For events containing a physical element, participants should sign a liabilty waiver. Organizations may adapt the University's own waiver for use:
All waivers should include "The Regents of the University of California" and the registered student organization(s) hosting the event as the parties held harmless. Organizations should keep all waivers for three years after the event date. Waivers may be maintained in a scanned format.
