ASU officials have decided to prepare for any accidents that are waiting to happen.
After conducting a national search for a director of student risk management, ASU hired Kim Novak, the woman Texas A&M hired after a deadly 1999 bonfire accident.
In addition to ending the bonfire tradition, Texas A&M hired Novak to eliminate other risks at the university.
At Texas A&M, Novak also worked closely with student organizations.
"The environment of higher education has changed so dramatically in the last decade that we have an educational responsibility to provide proactive response to our students," Novak said.
Novak, who will be paid $56,000 annually at ASU, a jump of $9,500 from her Texas A&M salary, said it is her job to help student organization leaders, members and staff realize any potential risks involved in the many student-run activities throughout campus.
While she is here for students and staff, Novak said risk management would deal mainly with student affairs.
Not only is Novak new to ASU, her position as director of student risk management is new as well.
"Student Affairs wanted to implement a proactive risk management," said Robert Soza, associate vice president of Student Affairs and dean of Student Life.
Novak said she would help students and staff at ASU not only to remember the more obvious aspects of risk management such as policy compliance, but also to help them consider things besides these basics.
"I think risk management is more than policy compliance," Novak said. "We can't just say, 'Here's a rule.' I think it's really important to give students and staff the resources to comply."
Student leadership is something that Novak said is important to her; she hopes risk management can be a tool for student-lead activities, rather than a group that assumes control of the activity itself.
"It's really based on being partners with students," Novak said.
Anthropology sophomore Heather Sioux said she thinks students and organizations should be responsible enough to consider risk on their own.
"People should be mature enough to look after themselves," she said.
Pre-law freshman Shana Rustam said she thinks student safety is a central issue on campus.
"At least you know [the administration] cares about us," Rustam said.
Brian Goehner, coordinator of student involvement with the Student Organization Resource Center, helps to oversee the nearly 500 clubs on campus. He said in the past, risk management has been done on a case-by-case basis without consistency; he said Novak would bring evenness to the area.
"[She's] sort of a one-stop shop," Soza said.
Reach the reporter at rkost@asu.edu.
