By Donna McMahon, URMIA President and Risk Manager at the University of Maryland at College Park.
This is the time of year in every president's term when we begin our reflection on all that we, as an association, have participated in, contributed to, implemented, developed, or accomplished during the course of the year. As every past president will tell you, the year goes by very fast. It's a wonder that very much can get done in a year, given that we all volunteer our time in addition to our full time jobs, and we only meet in person a couple of times a year! Even more amazing is how much actually does get done in a year. It's a true reflection of the kind of dedication our members have for our association.
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By Joseph DesPlaines, DMI Business Continuity and Crisis Response Consultant, Districts Mutual Insurance (DMI), the exclusive provider of insurance and risk services to the 16 Wisconsin Technical Colleges.
There has recently been a resurgence in the use of the awareness campaign, "If You See Something, Say Something," and I, for one, am happy to see this approach used extensively again. This slogan is genius in its simplicity: it is direct, user-friendly, very difficult to overthink, and produces the kind of situational awareness we need to combat the increased incidence of acts of violence. I have been in the crisis management business for almost 30 years and have not seen any approach that is as easy for people to understand and use. The slogan affirms the notion that in risk management, simple is better.
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By Melanie Bennett, Associate Risk Management Counsel, United Educators.
Single investigator sexual misconduct adjudication models are trending throughout higher education. It is not always clear what the single investigator model encompasses, although the term is regularly used to reference adjudication models that do not involve a hearing panel. The two primary forms of the single investigator model are Investigator as Decision-Maker and Investigator Does Not Adjudicate.
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By Kathy E. Hargis,
Associate Vice President of Risk Management & Compliance, Lipscomb University, President-Elect of URMIA, Board Liaison of the Annual Conference Committee, and Co-Chair of the International Committee.
As summer starts to wind down and the beginning of another academic year inches closer, we know the URMIA Annual Conference is right around the corner. Come September, URMIA members travel from practically every state in the United States, as well as Canada, Australia, South Africa and Mexico, to hear from higher education risk management leaders and professionals on new and emerging risk management practices.
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Each year, URMIA hosts in-person regional and annual (national) conferences around the country, as well as online webinars designed to minimize your cost and time away from the office while maximizing your educational and networking opportunities. Read on to learn about URMIA's 5th annual Risk Management Week, registering for URMIA's 46th Annual Conference in San Diego, ISO 31000 training from URMIA and PRIMA and much more.
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Each month, this article provides some of the latest risk management resources, as well as a calendar of upcoming events, webinars, conferences and other learning opportunities in which you or your campus colleagues may be interested.
URMIA resources
- Sexual Assault Prevention and the Campus Climate Survey Validation Study (CCSVS), URMIA webinar. On July 29, URMIA hosted a webinar led by staff from The Office on Violence Against Women and the Department of Justice. In this recorded webinar, you will hear more about how the CCSVS can be used in the context of risk assessment. The CCSVS is a product of the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault, and its purpose was to develop and test a reliable survey instrument and methodology that can be used to collect accurate school-level data on campus sexual violence. The survey instrument and methodology are now available as a free resource for colleges and universities to use to conduct their own surveys, which can give them a clear picture of what sexual assault actually looks like on their campuses in a way that national data cannot. This data can then be used by colleges and universities to improve how they prevent and respond to incidents of campus sexual assault.
- The 2016 Clery Handbook: New Developments and Important Changes, Joseph Storch and Andrea Stagg, on behalf of the URMIA Government & Regulatory Affairs Committee (GRAC). On June 23, 2016, the Department of Education (ED) issued The Handbook for Campus Safety and Security Reporting, 2016 Edition (2016 Handbook). This white paper dives into the changes in the 2016 Handbook to aid in complying with the Clery Act, as interpreted by ED. URMIA thanks the authors for their time and skill in writing this piece. Joseph Storch is an associate counsel at the State University of New York Office of General Counsel and chair of its Student Affairs Practice Group. Andrea Stagg is deputy general counsel at Barnard College in New York City and has represented both public and private colleges in issues related to campus safety and compliance.
- Managing Camps on Campus, United Educators webinar. Earlier this summer, Kathy Hargis, president-elect of URMIA and assistant vice president and director of risk management at Lipscomb University, was featured on a webinar about how to manage camps with a specific focus on disability accommodations and Title IX-related issues. Our affiliate member United Educators has shared the link to the program. URMIA also offered a camps webinar earlier this year on strategies for preventing abuse at your camp or conference. Highlights include: starting from scratch and getting a handle on what your campus is doing with minors, building relationships and buy-in, exploring technology to reduce risk, user-friendly forms, procedures directors will actually follow, and continuous improvement.
- URMIA Resource Guide. Are you new to higher education risk management? Has risk management recently been added to your list of job responsibilities? What issues might cross your desk as a higher education risk manager? Where should a person with risk management responsibilities in higher education be building his or her knowledge? Answers to these questions will vary. However, this resource guide features information and resources that highlight some of the most common and important aspects of higher education risk management.
- URMIA Risk Inventory. The URMIA Risk Inventory lists risks that are common to colleges and universities. URMIA provides this listing as an aid to member institutions in their risk identification process. Members can use the inventory as a starting point or to compare the risks the institution has identified to find missing issues. The URMIA Risk Inventory may not be published, but member institutions may use it internally as a working document in the institution’s risk assessment process.
- URMIA Past Conference Information. All of URMIA's past annual and regional conferences are organized in one place in our library now, you can find the brochures and presentations from the past here. If you are tasked with creating a presentation this is a great starting place for inspiration.
- Affiliate Innovative Resources (AIR) library. URMIA's AIR library gives affiliate members a forum to share information about their innovative products, services and ideas on the Affiliate Member Community. Please read the e-group rules for specifics on how you can market your products and services. Submit your content here or email your articles, fact sheets and other resources to the URMIA National Office at urmia@urmia.org.
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Help us welcome our newest members, and see what professional updates your colleagues have to share from the last month.
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