Check out the Insurance Summary for more detailed information about your organization’s automobile policy, but the below graphic has the top three things to remember:
Here is a print-friendly PDF version.
Position Paper
We are seeing an increase in the number of riskier and more robust activities being proposed as chapter events and activities, such as the following:
Ropes courses Hay rides
Mud/color/zombie runs Rock climbing/Climbing walls
Skeet shooting Paintball
Trampoline events Slip-and-Slides
Haunted attractions Mazes
Bounce Houses and Dunk Tanks Events over 500 people
Hamster balls Mechanical bulls
Eating activities/contests
Any type of inflatables
On their own, these activities are concerning because of the greater potential for injury due to the more physical and/or dangerous nature of these activities. With good risk management, some of the potential risks associated with these types of events can be mitigated; however, some of these events are inherently dangerous. If we continue to see more claims in these areas, the insurance company may be forced to take action by eliminating some of the coverage that our clients now enjoy. We would prefer that good risk management eliminate action from the insurance company.
In addition to the more physical nature of these activities from a risk management standpoint, we are seeing the contracts in these types of scenarios increasingly contain verbiage that is unfavorable for our clients. Examples of this are where the service/venue includes the requirement that the fraternity/sorority add the venue/service provider onto their policies as an additional insured, contractual verbiage that releases the venue from any and all liability, and the requirement that all chapter members and/or participants sign waivers or releases to eliminate the service/venue from liability. This trend toward more aggressive contractual language with these types of events is concerning for our clients primarily due to the fact that they have little or no control over the equipment and the facility that is being used by its members and to then release the service provider/venue from responsibility is not good business practice.
Thus as we see it you have an increase in the more risky activities, where the service provider/venue is completely “released” from any and all liability and we have the additional trends below to exacerbate the matter:
- Liability incidents are up 15 percent
- Member injuries are up 68 percent
- Economic pressures and uncertainty with health care has impacted both the number and the severity of liability claims
Please refer to your own organization’s policies regarding approved events.
Not all risky events are created equal; please refer to the table below for some specific examples:
| Type of risky event | Red Flag | Better option, yet still risky |
| Ropes courses | Homemade ropes courses on the chapter property | Engaging with an established company or organization that utilizes trained individuals to facilitate ropes course |
| Bounce houses | A bounce house setup on chapter property open to the public | Going to a well-managed facility that has various amusement activities available |
| Slip-and-slide | Set up on chapter property | Going to a well-managed water park |
| Organized runs/walks | Mud/Zombie runs with obstacles | A more traditional 5K on paved surfaces, with appropriate city permits, permissions, etc. |
As you can see from the examples above, there are ways to make seemingly risky activities more advantageous, primarily by holding the event:
- At a licensed establishment that carries adequate insurance limits and practices good risk management in their operations
- At a well-managed facility (as opposed to at the chapter house or somewhere on campus)
If the event is held at another business, they will be primarily responsible for the liability to your members and their business insurance policy will be responding to any claims.
Refer to your inter/national Headquarters for your organization’s policies regarding approved events. Ultimately, it is up to the discretion of each inter/national Headquarters to determine whether or not to allow a specific type of event.
We recommend, when possible, that chapters find alternatives to the types of risky events listed and/or unfavorable contractual risk transfer.
If it is not feasible for you to find an alternate (and insured) venue for the event or to change the event altogether, we recommend that you utilize the services of MJ Insurance Sorority Department by contacting Ruth Akers, Senior Account Manager.
Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact Ruth Akers at ruth.akers@mjsorority.com.
Does this make sense for your House Corporation?
Pursuit of strong risk management will sometimes get in the way of solid business practices. A prime example of this is the reluctance of a house corporation board to have either collegiate chapter members and/or chapter advisors on the board. The fear being the threat this could pose of not “fire walling” liability away from the HC of the chapter operations.
In that the chapter operations and house corporation operations are equally and jointly insured under your organizations national insurance policy, this should be less of a concern for the liability.
We do believe that the increase in the communication between the two operations will be greatly enhanced which ultimately provides for a healthier relationship between the two entities.
One recommendation of helping to narrow this liability would be to have them as non-voting members of your local house corporation board and a minority in number.
The local house corporation is taxed at running the most optimum business for its resident members/other members and using available resources to do so makes sense.
We have had a few requests for sample wording to be used when a group or individual is using your organization name, crest and/or letters inappropriately. We have crafted the following language for your use in those situations. As always is the case in legal matters, we do recommend that you engage legal counsel in these types of situations.
In addition to a letter with the below or similar language, we also recommend that you include any back-up information, including pictures or other accounts of the misuse of the trademark, and any other corresponding documentation that reinforces your position.
Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns.
MJ Sorority Sample Template
It has come to our attention that your group and its members continue to misrepresent yourselves as members of [insert organization name and the specific nature of the misrepresentation].
This letter serves to inform you that you have made an unauthorized use of our copyrighted name and symbols in your operation. We demand that you immediately cease the use of such identification on your campus of any association with [insert organization name]. We demand that you desist from this or any other infringement of our rights in the future, referenced under the United States Patent and Trademark Office, which proves ownership or our name and the use of our associated symbols, including our Greek letters.
In the Event of a Claim
Take action quickly.
When the unexpected happens, report your claim right away to put yourself in the surest position—and best enable us to help. It’s not just smart practice; letting us know about a claim is your responsibility as an insured, so don’t get in the way of your recovery by skipping this important step.
Note: In most cases, Heather Cox is your first point of contact when you have a claim. But for an emergency, please call Cindy Stellhorn.
In the event of a claim:
Heather Cox
317-805-7598
heather.cox@mjsorority.com
Complete this form if you prefer to submit your claim online.
In an emergency:
Cindy Stellhorn
317-374-5039
cindy.stellhorn@mjsorority.com
Getting in touch with us won’t be the beginning and end of your response. Here’s a list of actions to take for various kinds of claims.
- Property: First, do whatever is necessary to prevent further damage from occurring. Then call Heather with the date and description of your loss, and estimates for repair or replacement of your damaged items.
- Injuries to Employees: Within five days of the injury, fill out an Employer’s First Report of Injury Form and e-mail it to Heather.
- Injuries to Members or to the Public: Make no statements accepting blame, treat any potential or actual claim or lawsuit as a high priority item, and immediately notify your organization headquarters and MJ; contact Heather with names, date of loss, and details of incident.
- Embezzlement or Forgery: When you have reason to suspect financial foul play, your first step is to remove all financial responsibilities from the person in question. After you’ve done that, give us a call to discuss moving forward with a claim.
It is increasingly common for other organizations and/or people (third parties) to request some evidence that the fraternity/sorority or chapter has insurance coverage in place. The form that confirms that coverage is, in fact, in place is called a Certificate of Insurance, and it shows your limits and coverages.
We will need the following information from you in order to provide you with a Certificate of Liability Insurance:
- Fraternity/Sorority and Greek Chapter Name
- Date of the event
- Type of event (i.e. Philanthropic, Social, Chapter-Oriented, etc.)
- Whether or not alcohol is being served (if alcohol is being served, who is serving the alcohol?)
- Name and address of the venue and/or individual requesting the Certificate of Insurance
- The contact information and preferred contact method (i.e. e-mail, fax, etc.) for the individual to whom the Certificate should be sent
- If the venue is requesting Additional Insured status, please forward the contract immediately to us for review.
Please provide all of the above information and any questions you may have by completing the Certificate/Event Request Form.
In addition, it is also very common for you to receive a request from a lendor requesting that you provide evidence that you carry property insurance. Banks often require you to list them as a Mortgagee or Loss Payee on your policy for property for which they provide a loan. Companies from whom you lease equipment, such as a copy machine vendor, also often request proof that you are carrying insurance to cover any damage to their equipment. This document is referred to as the Property Certificate of Insurance.
In order to process your Property Certificate request, please provide us with the following information by completing the Non-Event Specific Certificate of Insurance Form:
- Name and address of the entity/individual requesting the Property Certificate
- Any written documentation, such as a contract, that stipulates your obligation to provide the entity/individual with proof of insurance
- Loan number, if applicable
- E-mail address of the entity/individual requesting the Property Certificate