The Office of Insurance and Risk Management is dedicated to serving our campus community. Our role is to mitigate risks and reduce their associated costs that may have a negative impact on the mission of the University. We support CSUN’s mission through the use of accepted risk management techniques and practices; preserving valuable resources and reducing funding losses due to foreseeable risk. Through daily interaction with faculty, staff, students, Colleges and Departments, and the community, the Insurance and Risk Management Office provides support and guidance. Our experienced staff can help you identify and manage financial and safety risks that may result in costly litigation, contract disputes, and other claims against the university or departments.
Insurance and Risk Management
Our Mission
CSU, Northridge Risk Management Annual Reports
Get a Certificate of Insurance
On occasion, you may be requested to provide a certificate of insurance to others. If you need to provide a “Certificate of Insurance” to others, please contact the Risk Management Office, risk@csun.edu immediately.
You may receive certificates of insurance from various sources - from tenants, vendors, and contractors hired for activities such as tenant improvements, alterations, and additions work. Consequently, it is essential that you be able to read these certificates and compare the information provided to the applicable insurance requirement in a lease or other contracts. For more information regarding the interpretation of “Certificates of Insurance” see our website under Contractual Risk Management.
Where can I begin contracting with the State of California?
Section 7.40 of the State Contracting Manual (SCM) contains information regarding the insurance requirements in state contracts. The Office of Legal Services maintains the SCM and other information regarding state contracting requirements. The best place to start at CSUN is to contact Procurement for information.
Is an agreement still required if someone is providing a service for "no fee?"
This "no fee" service may be a guest speaker who volunteers his/her time for free. This speaker is most likely an individual and our required limits of insurance may be excessive. In these cases, the risk should be transferred by the use of a Guest Lecturer or Independent Contractor waiver form. The best place to start for those who want to provide service to the University is to contact Procurement which also offers assistance to small businesses.
Some "no fee" services may be provided by an independent contractor who is volunteering his/her service to the University. Depending on the scope of the service to be provided, you may choose to transfer the risk by the use of an Independent Contractor waiver. In most cases, where you are being offered professional services for no fee, a written agreement that outlines the responsibilities of each party is recommended. These written agreements in conjunction with the independent contractor waiver help to transfer the risk by agreement and also provide an opportunity to clearly outline the responsibilities of each party and the scope of the service provided.
It is important to understand that just because a service is free, the risks associated with the service are no less severe. Everything must be done to ensure that the risks are mitigated. This may include hands-on supervision of the activity to ensure that the environment is controlled.
How to Respond to a Subpoena
A subpoena for the personal appearance of a CSUN witness must be served on that witness as provided by the appropriate statute.
A subpoena for CSUN business records must be personally served on the custodian of records wherever the records are located within CSUN. The Office of General Counsel does not accept service of subpoenas for records other than its own. The Custodian of Records (COR) for students' records is the Department of Student Affairs, the campus personnel records are maintained at the Human Resources Office, UN170.
Any questions should be addressed to the CSUN legal representative in the Office of General Counsel at the Chancellor's Office, (562) 951-4500. Remember that there is a limited time for your response as specified in the subpoena.
File a Claim Against CSU
Effective January 1, 2011, a claim against California State University, Northridge, must be filed with the Chancellor's Office of Risk Management & Public Safety at the address below within six (6) months after which the incident or event occurred along with a $25 claim filing fee made out to "Trustees of CSU". Completed claims must be delivered or mailed to:
The California State University - Office of the Chancellor
Risk Management and Public Safety
401 Golden Shore, 5th Floor
Long Beach, CA 90802-4210
Visit CSU Risk Management and Public Safety for further information or to obtain a claim form.
Loss or Damage to Personal Property
There are many instances when employees bring personal property to campus for personal use. This property may include but is not limited to art, office furnishings, laptops, bicycles, cameras, musical instruments, books, plants and photographs. Personal property brought to campus is the sole responsibility of the owner. The repair, replacement, or reimbursement of personal property is not considered to be the responsibility of the University. This would also apply to students or visitors who bring personal property to campus for personal use. The University’s insurance programs do not provide insurance coverage for personal property whether lost, damaged or stolen on campus or off campus while on University business. However, an employee has the right to file a claim against the State of California for loss or damage to personal property against the State of California through the Government Claims Program. For further information, contact the Campus Risk Management office.