The way ISU student organizations can travel is changing this semester with the Office of Risk Management making alterations to their guidelines on how students can qualify for the use of university vehicles.

The new guideline changes suggest that student organizations that are traveling to competitions, conferences or other functions and are using university vehicles to travel must have a university employee travel with the organization in order to qualify for usage of university vehicles.

Prior to this guideline change, organizations were not required to have a university employee travel with a group.

According to Director of Risk Management Deborah Sunstrom, there were no changes made to the Student Organization Policy, only some practices which had been changed.

Under the Authorized Travel policy on the Office of Risk Management’s website, it states: “All travel by recognized student organizations must relate to the purpose of the organization and comply with the policies of the state of Iowa; the Board of Regents, State of Iowa; and Iowa State University.”

Government of the Student Body President Jared Knight says that liability changes are driving the changes. 

Knight also stated the university and the attorney general’s office of Iowa no longer consider most student organizations closely tied to the mission and business of the university.

“The move comes out of concern for the university’s liability for damages that occur during travel, but I see this as shifting liability onto individual students,” Knight said. 

“Instead of using safer vehicles and registering travel with the [Office of Risk Management], students will use their personal, often older vehicles, and be completely liable for anything that happens.”

Currently, university vehicles are covered by liability through the state of Iowa, but the university is looking into commercial auto coverage for their vehicles they rent out to students. 

GSB has also looked into the possibility of purchasing an insurance plan for organizations when using a university vehicle.

“After reviewing the use of vehicles and the Tort System, we want to provide the best liability practice for our students,” Sunstrom said.

Sunstrom also said the Office of Risk Management had been discussing these changes for the past two years and has been analyzing the types of travel and what the implications would be. 

The office is also looking to receive a quote for a supplemental insurance plan by the end of this week that would help alleviate some of the issues.