Standard Practices

Request for Policy Additions and Deletions

The normal procedure to add or delete buildings, automobiles, pieces of art, etc. to or from a policy is to submit a memorandum with all pertinent information pertaining to the addition or deletion. This would include:

  1. Building: Location, name of building, square footage, building value, and contents.
  2. Automobile: Make, model, year, serial number, value and type of coverage desired.
  3. Inland Marine: Name of painting, etching, drawing, rare book, manuscript, rug, tapestry, statuary or other bonafide work of art, of rarity, historic value, or artistic merit, value, presentation or storage location, name of artist.

Annual Review

  1. South Carolina Insurance Reserve Fund (SCIRF) Policies Each policy with the SCIRF is reviewed at least annually and renewed on August 31st of each year. During the review process special consideration is given to structure and content values, building sizes, inland marine additions and deletions, the size of the vehicle fleet, and medical services offered on campus. The payments for SCIRF policies are made through interdepartmental (IDT) transfers. It is important to note that personal property stored on campus by faculty and staff is not covered by the University's policies and therefore, not considered as part of the building contents review; consequently, any personal belongings must be insured at the owners' expense.
  2. Contracted Policies Policies purchased through independent agencies are typically on term contracts. This means that an agency will provided coverage for a specific time period (3-5 years) and the coverage is automatically renewed on the anniversary date of the policy. Unlike SCIRF policies, a new purchase order must be generated for each annual renewal with an independent agent.

Request for Proof of Coverage

To request a Certificate of Insurance or proof of "self-insurance" coverage, send a written request to Risk Management and include a copy of the original document (contract, letter) requesting the information. The written request should provide as a minimum the following information:

  1. Requesting department
  2. Basic information as to the activity, services, or event to be covered
  3. Complete name and mailing address and the contact person to whom the certificate should be issued.

Complete the Certificate of Insurance Request Form (pdf - 64 kb)

Use of Personal Vehicles

The automobile liability policy issued to Winthrop does provide non-owned liability insurance coverage.  It is intended for the employee's occasional use of his/her privately owned vehicle in connection with his/her jobs. The non-owned coverage is excess of other collectible insurance (the liability coverage maintained by the employee on his/her personal vehicle is always primary). If the employee's policy limit is ever exhausted, the injured third parties then have a claim against the university for any damages not covered by the private policy, up to the university's limit. The university's coverage does not automatically start. A claim has to be made by the injured parties for the excess damages.  Employees should contact their insurance agents to determine if the agent considers the use of the privately owned vehicle by the employee is a "business use." If so, the employee's insurance policy needs to be endorsed to cover the business use. When a personal vehicle is used in the course of your duties as a Winthrop employee (or volunteer), the insurance covering the vehicle is primary. As an example:

  • You use your car for Winthrop University business.
  • You are at fault.
  • You carry $250,000.00 liability insurance.
  • You are sued.
  • The judgment is $400,000.00

Your insurance would pay its $250,000.00 limit.
*Winthrop University would cover the $150,000.00 over that.
* Note the fact that you were involved in the accident while acting within the scope of your duties.

For more details to this policy, contact Risk Management at 803/323-2143.