Insurance

Westmont carries various kinds of insurance to help moderate the financial impact of losses which occasionally occur. Pertinent information about some of them are listed here. If you have questions about insurance not addressed here, please email our Risk Manager.

Automobile Insurance 

The college carries insurance that applies to all vehicles it owns, and those rented for college business.

RENTALS: When renting a car on college business, at the rental counter decline the offers of insurance UNLESS you wish to pay for that insurance yourself for personal use of the vehicle during part of the time. Under the college's policy, rental cars are not covered when being used for personal use (eg, If you are on a business trip in Seattle and decide to drive a few hours away to visit a friend, the car will not be covered by the college's policy during that personal drive). Make sure your personal auto insurance will cover you in such a situation. If not, it may be advisable to purchase the coverage offered at the rental counter as a personal expense. Please contact us if you have any questions.

PERSONAL VEHICLES: Significant limitations apply to the college's coverages and responsibility for employee or student use of personal (non-fleet) vehicles. Click here for more on this.

USE IN MEXICO: A popular student program called Potter's Clay involves the use of personal vehicles for travel to and within Mexico. The program provides Mexican auto insurance to cover both property and liability. Those who volunteer their vehicles for use on these trips should be aware that the Mexican coverages are typically less complete than would be customary in the US. Typical features include a deductible of $500 for sedans and $1000 for vans/trucks, excludes partial thefts and stolen contents, covers no consequential damages (hotels, rental cars etc), and characterized by a general lack of rapid resolution

Property Insurance

The college insures its own property, but--as is customary in education and commerce--is not obliged to provide coverage for the personal property of others (employees, students, volunteers, guests, et al), even if used for instructional purposes or if owned by an employee residing on campus, and regardless of fault. Owners of such property are urged to see that their own insurance provides protection suitable to whatever level of risk they deem acceptable.

Note: Until the Tea Fire of 11/13/2008, the college's insurance policy included an uncommonly generous provision for the personal effects of others. In the face of the Tea loss and the subsequent threat of the Jesusita fire, the college found it difficult to acquire cost-effective coverage. As a result, the cases in which a personal property loss might be covered at all have been significantly curtailed, and the coverage amount paid under an accepted claim could be as low as zero.

If you have personal property on campus (or carried with you when traveling), you may wish to consider these options:

  • A web search for "Student Property Insurance" will yield a wide array of available sources. (Many of these programs will extend their programs and rates to faculty and staff.)
  • Often, homeowner's/renter's policies will include coverage for possessions lost or damaged while away from home. 

Student Medical Insurance

The college provides a modest, supplemental policy to cover up to $25,000 in medical services for student accident or illness. It is intended to enable a student with a small to mid-range medical situation to continue their college career without interruption due to its financial implications. It should not be regarded as, nor presumed to replace, a conventional full-service health insurance policy. Click here for more on this.

Students engaged in the practice or play of intercollegiate athletics, or in contests of club or intramural sports, have automatic access to a catastrophic insurance policy to supplement the basic accident policy. 

 

(Note that all employee-protection insurance programs, such as workers' compensation, health maintenance, and the like, are administered by our Office of Human Resources.)