Safety and Risk Management
Most events planned by student organizations have some level of risk involved. The purpose of safety and risk management is to minimize and prevent accidental loss and to ensure that all student organization events are fun and safe.
Alisa Guglielmo (aguglielmo@scu.edu) in Law Student Services can help guide you through the event planning process to determine which areas of safety and risk management apply to your event. Areas of safety and risk management include the following:
• Disability Statement
The following statement about the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 (ADA/504) must be included in all marketing for an event:
"In compliance with the ADA/504, please direct your accommodation requests to NAME at EMAIL ADDRESS."
For NAME fill in the name of the primary student organizing this event, and for EMAIL ADDRESS fill in that student's email address.
• Driver Agreement
The University Vehicle Driver Agreement Form is required for each student driving a vehicle as part of a University-sponsored trip, including off-campus events planned by student organization.
• Fire and Environmental Safety
• Insurance
Depending on the level of risk associated with your event featuring a speaker, performer, and/or vendor, proof of insurance may be required.
If the speaker, performer, or vendor does not have insurance, the Office of Risk Management will assist your student organization with obtaining appropriate insurance.
• Movie License for Public Viewing
If your student organization will be showing a movie at your event, then payment of a licensing fee is required. There are two ways to be exempt from paying these fees:
1) The movie screening is part of an academic class led by a faculty member.
2) The movie screening is no more than 10% of total run time (i.e. snippets of the movie, not the entire movie). For example, if the movie is 120 minutes in duration, you may screen 12 minutes of the movie without having to pay the licensing fee.
• Participant Agreement
The Participant Agreement Form is required for each student participating in potentially risky activities on or off campus.
• Security and Crowd Safety
Security and crowd safety measures are required for particular large-scale events in order to ensure that appropriate individuals are allowed to attend these events and that the safety of these individuals are preserved.
Campus Safety is frequently involved with planning and implementing such measures.
• Sound Amplification
Student organizations that are hosting events with sound amplification either through a speaker (public address) system or megaphone are required to obtain approval in advance of the event date.
- Approval must be by the appropriate venue manager, Event Planning Office at the Benson Center, and/or Center for Student Leadership.
- Also, an Amplification Permit is required from the City of Santa Clara.
• Speaker Statement
The following statement must be read at the beginning of an event featuring a speaker who will be presenting content that may incite or offend others:
"The presence of a guest speaker on the campus of SCU does not necessarily imply approval or endorsement by the University of the views expressed by the guest speaker or by anyone else present at the event."
• Student Records
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) protects the confidentiality of student records.
• Transportation Statement
This statement applies for off-campus events that do not have organized transportation:
"SCU is not responsible for transportation to and from this event."
• Responsible Hosting of Events Where Alcohol is Served
The event manager for events where alcoholic beverages are served is responsible for implementing the following practices:
1. A University-affiliated student organization must identify an event -manager responsible for planning and managing the event. The event manager must be present throughout the entire event and must remain alcohol-free prior to and during the event. The event manager and the manager of the facility or his/her designee will work together to ensure that all University event planning requirements are met.
2. An appropriate crowd management and security plan shall be developed for the event to monitor excessive drinking, control disorderly behavior, and as appropriate, implement the Responsible Guest Policy.
3. The location used for the event should have controllable points of ingress and egress.
4. Alcoholic beverages should not be the primary focus of an event (i.e., progressive drinking party, kegger, happy hour). Alcoholic beverages shall not be used as an inducement to participate in an event.
5. Promotions for the event shall not portray symbols of alcoholic beverage consumption (e.g., foaming mugs, cans, glasses, or kegs), shall not include any form of abusive consumption (drinking contests or competition), and shall not emphasize frequency or quantity of alcoholic beverage consumption.
6. Promotions for the event should state that "identification will be required."
All pulled from the Univ. Student Handbook:
http://www.scu.edu/studentlife/osl/StudentLifePublications/Student-Handbook.cfm
