April 08, 2011
Choose a comprehensive Driver Education Program that is available when you need it.
Eric Green
Associate Director of Programs
Recreation and Wellness Services
University of Akron
Policies and procedures for travel need to include many elements including driver screening, insurance review, purchasing vehicles with higher safety ratings, proper maintenance and driver training. The University of Akron Department of Recreation and Wellness Services wanted a passenger van driving education program that increased safety and reduced preventable incidents. The program needed to
- Provide flexible scheduling for driver testing
- Provide accountable results
- Meet the expectations of the University’s Department of Risk Management
The program selected was the six hour ‘I-Drive Safely’ passenger van course from FLEET corporate driving (http://fleet.idrivesafely.com/index.htm).
Read more
April 08, 2011
Jim Fitzsimmons
Associate Director, Campus Recreation and Wellness
University of Nevada, Reno
The old adage ‘judgment comes from experience and good judgment comes from bad experience’ holds true in just about all facets of life. I find this especially true in how we train our staff members for everyday operations and emergencies.
Think about how you train your staff to respond to various emergencies, be it power outage, medical emergency or evacuation. What do you focus on? At what stage of the emergency to you start your training and where does it stop?
Read more
April 08, 2011
The Important Role of a ‘Code of Conduct’
Gabriel Valenzuela
University of Southern California
In the Spring of 2006, shortly after the unfortunate events involving the Duke Lacrosse team, administrators at the University of Southern California (USC) felt that it was necessary to examine the operations of the club sports program in three specific areas: hazing, sexual harassment, and alcohol & drug abuse. The university believed that an internal examination would be a very important learning opportunity for all club sports participants. In fact, US Lacrosse, the national governing body for the sport, took it one step further and issued a press release on 4 May 2006 about the need for each individual, program and university to view the incident as an opportunity for personal accountability.
Read more
April 08, 2011
Results of an Informal Survey conducted at the 2007 NIRSA Sport Clubs Symposium
Ian McGregor, Ph.D.
President, McGregor & Associates
An informal ‘risk management’ survey was conducted by the author at the NIRSA ‘Sport Clubs Symposium’ held in Milwaukee in June 2007. The results are summarized below. The survey was not in any way scientific, and the results should be viewed merely as a ‘snapshot’ of what is happening in Sport Clubs across North America. Total number of individual responses: 83.
Read more
April 08, 2011
Katharine M. Nohr, Esq.
Nohr Sports Risk Management LLC
Combine passionate fans, alcohol and football, the equation for spectator unruliness, and your university may have a crowd control problem to contend with. It is not unusual for stadium and event management to engage in a public relations campaign in an effort to prevent anticipated rowdy behavior or address safety concerns before a big game. As you can well imagine, underdog University of Hawaii Warriors football team elicited a tsunami of fan excitement leading up to its Sugar Bowl berth. After a home game against Fresno State, some visitors complained about fan conduct in Aloha Stadium. In response, and before its remaining games against Boise State and Washington leading to an undefeated season, Coach June Jones made television public service announcements and advertisements were placed in electronic and print media to curb potential fan violence. His ‘good sportsmanship’ message urged the fans to show their ‘aloha spirit’, and specifically asked “for the safety of players, please refrain from throwing paper or other objects on the field.” Security was significantly beefed up for subsequent games and there was no repeat of the problems reported at the Fresno State game.
Read more
April 08, 2011
Joe Risser CPCU, ARM-P
Director, Risk Management
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Risk Managers are often viewed as ‘the person who says no’ in the organization since they are expected to protect the organization from liability or other losses. Traditionally however, the role of the Risk Manager is to advise and assist those responsible for the operations, programs and activities of an organization in their efforts to manage risk. Ultimately, the organization’s chief executive and managers have the responsibility and authority to protect the organization, employees, customers and the community from losses.
Risks that can result in losses include (but are not limited to): loss of a building or other facility to fire or flood; injury of an employee to the degree they cannot perform their job, short term or long term; injury to a customer and/or damage to another person’s property resulting in a claim and/or litigation. Ultimately a judgment could be rendered which may adversely affect the organization (court expenses, order to pay medical expenses, restitution, life long disability or loss of earnings), and result in significant if not severe financial loss for any organization.
Read more