Insurance & Risk Management FAQ's

What type of insurance do we have?

The Fraternity purchases liability insurance, which is insurance that protects Tau Kappa Epsilon against claims from legal liability, provides legal defense, and pays sums necessary to settle claims against the Fraternity. Liability insurance is not the same thing as health insurance.

Who is covered under the insurance policy?
Active collegiate members (only if they are paid and on the chapter records with the Offices of the Grand Chapter), Chapter Advisor, members of the Board of Advisors, and Fraternity volunteers are all covered. These individuals must be registered with the Offices of the Grand Chapter, and they must be acting in an official capacity. Our insurance does not cover anyone who is acting in a criminal way, or a way that could cause harm to someone else.

Why do we need insurance coverage?
Suppose that someone is injured during a chapter event and this claim becomes a nasty lawsuit. You are named as a defendant. Our insurance will cover you, as well as the Fraternity, as long as you are an active, paid member of Tau Kappa Epsilon in good standing, you did not violate any laws or intentionally cause harm to the other person, and you were acting in good faith.

What is considered a chapter event?
To understand what may be considered a TKE event, consider the following questions. If the answer to any question is "yes", then regardless of the location (annex, brother's house, apartment), your University, the Fraternity, and a court of law may consider it a TKE event. Therefore, the Risk Management Guidelines need to be followed.

1. Was the event pre-planned or pre-meditated?
    
2. Was the event discussed during a chapter meeting or executive committee meeting?
    
3. Was it advertised among the brothers through any means (word of mouth, flyer, email)?
    
4. Were chapter funds used in any way?
    
5. Did chapter officers help plan the event in any way?
    
6. Did the event occur as a result of a Fraternity function (e.g. big brother night, bid night, post-initiation party)?
    
7. Was the property where the gathering occurred owned, rented or leased by a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon?
    
8. Would a third party construe the function as Fraternity related?
    

Is our property covered?
No. Not every chapter needs property insurance, so we leave purchasing property insurance up to your local housing corporation or your Board of Advisors. Our insurance broker does sell property insurance to many TKE chapters.

What is the Member Accident Protection Plan?
The Member Accident Protection Program is a benefit of membership. The program is intended to compliment the health insurance program of every collegiate member of the Fraternity for accidents incurred during the college term. ( Click here for more Info )All eligible collegiate members are insured for covered injuries that are incurred while the policy is in force and occur while:

1. Registered and in good standing with the Fraternity. Membership is verified by the Offices of the Grand Chapter so be sure your membership has been reported and all Candidate, Initiate, Annual Membership Fees, and Risk Management Fees have been paid.
    
2. An enrolled student at an institution of higher learning where there is an collegiate chapter of the Fraternity, except during appropriate holiday or summer breaks. If a covered injury occurs during a holiday or summer break, the eligible member will have had to have been an enrolled student during the prior school term and continuing at an institution of higher learning the following term.

What do we do if someone is hurt?
Assist the injured by administering first aid to the best of your ability and call for help (police, fire department, ambulance, 911, etc.) Secure the area to keep others from getting hurt. Every chapter should have a Crisis Communication Plan (CCP). Get out your CCP, follow the procedures listed, and contact the Offices of the Grand Chapter. Always cooperate with local authorities.

What is a Certificate of Insurance?
A Certificate of Insurance is a form that verifies that you have insurance, states the coverage limits, and identifies who is covered under the policy. Sometimes your university will want to see a Certificate of Insurance as proof that you have adequate insurance. Contact the Offices of the Grand Chapter, and we will send a copy to your university. But usually, when someone asks for a Certificate of Insurance, they are wanting for TKE to name them as an additional insured, which means that they want our insurance policy to cover them.

How do we name an Additional Insured?
Only the Offices of the Grand Chapter can approve naming an additional insured to our policy. We consider these requests carefully. If a third party asks you for a Certificate of Insurance naming them as an additional insured, start off by making a request to our insurance broker. They will review the request and then contact us for our approval. The process can take 10 to 14 days.

When are Risk Management Fees due and who do we pay?
Each chapter and colony receives an invoice directly from our insurance broker prior to August 31. You can make full payment anytime prior to October 1. If paid-in-full before September 15, a rebate of 10% is posted to your Chapter or Colony Statement, which can be used to pay other Fraternity obligations. If your invoice is more than $2,000, you can arrange financing. Our insurance broker will help you with this. In this scenario, you pay a down-payment of at least 50%, and the remainder (including finance charges) is due March 1. If financing, you are not eligible for the 10% rebate.

Why are Risk Management Fees so expensive?
Fraternities and Sororities are a high risk market, so our insurance premium, the amount we pay to the insurance company, is very expensive.

What happens if we do not pay?

The chapter may be subject to the Judicial Process of Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity.  Through this, you may have your chapter operations suspended, lose insurance coverage, and possibly face other outcomes in accordance with The Black Book.