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At 7:15am on a Monday morning in April 2007, a 23-year-old student opened fire in a residence hall on the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. At 9:45am, a second round of shooting was reported. By 10:16am, classes were canceled – 32 students and faculty were dead.
When the unimaginable happens, institutions could be held liable. In the Virginia Tech case, a jury ruled that the University failed to notify students early enough following the first shooting incident. Virginia tech paid US$32,500 in fines, but the damage was incalculable.
Unimaginable scenarios like this are unfortunately becoming more imaginable. The number of active shooter incidents, defined as events where “one or more individuals actively engage in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area,” have skyrocketed in the US over the past 15 years. In 2001, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), recorded one incident. In 2015, that number jumped to 20.
University campuses are bustling with activity day-in day-out. Part of what makes campuses great is their inclusivity and openness, but that’s also what makes managing active threats and violence especially challenging. According to data from the FBI, 23% of active shooter incidents happen at schools, including universities.
Insurers have responded by developing active shooter insurance products to help at-risk institutions cover the costs of an atrocity. Victim lawsuits, building repairs, legal fees, medical expenses, and trauma counseling are just a few of the fees that often won’t be covered by risk managers’ general liability policies.
The coverage may not be for everyone, and it’s certainly not intended to take the place of prevention and preparation efforts.
Cornell University is tuned-in to active shooter threats, but their risk management department hasn’t considered the coverage.
“We’ve been looking at this (active threat on campus) since before 9/11,” says Craig McAllister, director for the Office of Risk Management and Insurance at New York state-based Ivy League.
“Cornell is large enough that I think from a financial standpoint, we could manage [an active shooter incident], even if it were a horrendous event,” says McAllister. “Maybe a smaller school would be more concerned about the financial aspect.”
Medical expense coverage is included in most policies and can be a big draw for organisations, but at Cornell, the benefits would be redundant. “We have a hard waiver for our student health program, so everybody who is on campus, in theory, should have a solid health insurance program.”
For McAllister, the budget is better spent on training. “We have a sworn police force of about 50 officers, so they just take the lead on this, along with our emergency management group,” he says.
The risk management department, he says, are part of the team that helps coordinate the efforts. “We are a voice that works with the groups. We don’t own any of these risk areas, but we work in coordination with the groups to look at the risks, and we make sure that whoever has that ownership on campus, addresses them.”
