Real Talk with MJ Sorority: Recent Episodes
MJ Sorority
Real Talk with MJ Sorority is the voice of sorority risk management, where we talk about the big risks, small questions, and real challenges sorority women face today.
Allison and Sara discuss the factors contributing to the significant increase in property claims over the last several years. Some resources they reference in the episode include:
- Insurance Overviews
- House Corporation Inventory Checklist
- Property Limit Recommendations
- Contact your Client Executive with specific questions
Sara and Allison review some basic preparedness tips in the event of severe weather. Check out the following resources for further reading:
- Emergency Planning section at mjsorority.com
- House Corporation Inventory Checklist
As always, send us your feedback to realtalk@mjsorority.com!
Join Allison and Ruth to discuss some common risk management reminders about event security, as well as some common pitfalls.
Join Allison and Ruth to discuss some recent claims trends that we've seen arise out of events/event planning to be aware of. If you have additional questions, reach out to Ruth directly or check out our many event-related resources on our website.
Sara and Allison discuss renting the chapter house to a third-party, what risk management concerns to review, and what top two things you need to remember if you are considering renting out the chapter property.
Some resources we referenced:
- Position paper from MJ Sorority
- Additional potential resources
Join Allison and Sara to discuss how volunteers are covered under the MJ Sorority insurance program, including some of your FAQs and a few claims examples.
Resources that we referenced in this episode:
- FAQ
- Digging Deeper: Directors and Officers
- Podcast: Commercial Auto Coverage
- Insurance Overview and Risk Management Summary
Sara and Estacia discuss the basics of liability waivers, our position on waivers, and several of your most frequently asked questions. Resources cited in the episode:
- Position paper and template
- FAQs
- COVID-19 Participant Waiver template
Join Allison and Ruth to discuss special event policies: what they are, when you need them, what to look for, and more. This is part of our ongoing series on event planning.
In this episode, Allison and Sara discuss what we call "unofficial houses." We define what we mean by that term, why they're concerning from a risk management standpoint, several claims examples, and how to minimize your risk when it comes to unofficial houses.
Join Sara and Allison to eview the basics of the commercial automobile coverage and some related FAQs, and then check out the following resources for further study:
- Digging Deeper on Non-Owned and Hired Automobile Liability coverage
- Graphic of Top Three Things to Know from the episode
- Auto section of our website
- Designated Driver Real Talk episode
Contact us at realtalk@mjsorority.com with your questions and suggestions.
Listen in on Estacia's conversation with Gamma Phi Beta and Tri Delta discussing their approaches to Emotional Support Animals.
Liquor liability, liquor licenses, dramshop laws - all of these terms can get so confusing. Ruth and Allison try to break down each term and explain it in a way that makes it easier to understand. When you're better informed, you can make better, safer decisions. This episode will equip you with a better understanding to help you plan safer events.
Some resources we referenced:
- Liquor license FAQ and another one
- MJ Sorority's position paper on liquor liability
- Additional related resources
As always, send us your questions and suggestions at realtalk@mjsorority.com.
This episode is a teaser for lots of other resources mentioned in the episode:
- Adam Grant's languishing article
- Austin Kleon's counter piece about fallow season
- Our May newsletter with the link to recording of Will's session at the Housing Forum
- Mental Health in the Workplace panel discussion recording + information about the upcoming mental health vendor series in June
- Mental health first aid certification: contact Allison for more details
We would love to hear from you - email us at realtalk@mjsorority.com to share with us your mental health wins and challenges!
We receive lots of cooking and kitchen related questions. We shared a few in this episode, as well as the ways in which some of our recommendations evolve based on the specific situation. For more FAQs, check out our website. If you have a question you don't see on our website, send it to us at realtalk@mjsorority.com - and we might include it in a future episode.
Other things we discussed on this episode:
- Allison can't stop talking about: Daily Harvest
- Sara can't stop talking about: Water Minder and Grandma habits
Will, Allison, and Sara talk about where we've been when it comes to event planning as we approach the year anniversary of the beginning of the pandemic. In addition, they discuss what lessons they have learned from Covid as it relates to sorority events, and they shared some things that they predict going forward "on the other side" of the pandemic.
Show Notes
- We referenced several resources that we developed, all of which can be found on our Covid-19 page at mjsorority.com.
- Make sure you listen to our first Covid recap episode and the Covid housing lessons episode.
- Dos and donts for influenza prevention from 1918.
- Archie Messersmith-Bunting "The Feelings Guy"
- Monitoring the Future Drug Use Study
Share your pandemic lessons and suggestions with us - email us at realtalk@mjsorority.com.
Allison and Sara talk about where we've been as we approach the year anniversary of the beginning of the pandemic. In addition, they discuss what lessons the MJ Sorority team learned from Covid as it relates to sorority chapter housing, and they shared some things that they predict going forward "on the other side" of the pandemic.
Show Notes
- We referenced several resources that we developed, all of which can be found on our Covid-19 page at mjsorority.com.
- Make sure you listen to our first Covid recap episode from last week.
What We Can't Stop Talking About
- Allison can't stop talking about her slow burn playlists. Send her your favorite slow burn music or check out her playlists.
- Sara can't stop talking about the pandemic wall that she wrote about in her newsletter if you want to read along.
Share your pandemic lessons and suggestions with us - email us at realtalk@mjsorority.com.
This is a short episode explaining our Covid-induced hiatus, some lessons we've learned from Covid, and sharing where we are hoping to go with the podcast this year. Sara referenced this Pantsuit Politics episode about Covid as an accelerant.
In our "what you can't stop talking about segment," Allison shared about her renewed love for Gilmore Girls, and Sara shared about her family's obsession with the PBS Passport and All Creatures Great and Small.
The MJ Housing Forum is the premier gathering for sorority chapter housing leadership. Join Allison and Cindy to discuss this year's programming and highlights from the conference.
More information on the MJ Housing Forum.
Heather, Jessica, and Sara discuss claim basics: what to do in a the event of a claim, what is a claim, and more. The following resources were referenced in today's episode:
- What to do in the event of a claim
- Submit a claim
- Claims examples
Send us your claims questions for our next episode in the series: realtalk@mjsorority.com.
Ruth and Allison are back to continue our Event Planning series. This time, we're discussing the ins and outs about insurance contracts: what are contracts, why are they important, what to look for when dealing with contracts, real life examples, and why all of this matters to our clients.
Some resources that are mentioned in this episode:
- Bookmark the contract review request form on our website.
- Reviewing Contracts 101.
- The Requesting a Certificate flowchart - a printable infographic that can be printed and posted at the chapter or in your event planning materials.
- In the podcast episode, Ruth stresses the importance of attaching your contracts to our request form in PDF. Here is a list of free scanner apps for your phone that will use your phone to create high quality PDFs.
- FAQ section of our website.
- Many more event planning resources here.
What Ruth and Allison can't stop talking about:
Ruth
- Fingernail "dip:" Revel. Email Ruth for her discount code :)
Allison
- Country line dancing (Saddle Up in Indianapolis for the locals)
We want to hear from you! Email us with your questions, suggestions, and the things you can't stop talking about: realtalk@mjsorority.com.
In this episode, Allison and Sara discuss the basics of the property coverage and delve into how the insurance program works. Even if your chapter doesn't have chapter house, there is still plenty of useful information for all chapter members in this episode.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
- Insurance Overview
- House Corporation Checklist
What we can't stop talking about
- The Durrells in Corfu (Sara)
- School as an adult (Allison)
Adding to our ongoing series on event planning, Ruth and Allison discuss everything you've ever wanted to know about Certificates of Insurance. This is a must-listen for anyone that plans or oversees events for your chapter. We discuss the basics, debunk the myths, and answer lots of questions about Certificates of Insurance.
For more information, check out the following resources:
- Bookmark the Certificate of Insurance Request Form
- Check out the Quick Reference Guide for Event Planning
- Review this step-by-step self-guided presentation to planning a chapter event
- Print this flowchart that walks you through the process of requesting a Certificate of Insurance
Sara, Heidi, and Estacia dig into MJ Sorority's position on designated driver and sober sis programs. We talk about how we arrived at our position and what it means for our clients. For further reading, check out our Position Paper on the topic. You may want to read further about the non-owned automobile liability coverage if you ever drive to/from sorority events while you're at it.
What we can't stop talking about outside of sorority risk management:
- Estacia: Life Unexpected on Netflix
- Heidi: Fall in Indiana
- Sara: her garden (follow her on Instagram for some sneak peaks)
Allison and Tiffany discuss MJ's position on kids, including volunteers' children, babysitting, employees' children, and many other possible scenarios. Allison and Tiffany discuss how we came to our position and answer many frequently asked questions about kids at the chapter property. For more, refer to these sites at mjsorority.com:
- Babysitting programs
- General liability coverage
If you have further questions, please don't hesitate to reach out at realtalk@mjsorority.com.
Allison and Tiffany also talk about what's on their mind outside of sorority risk management. Tiffany admits to her love of all things royal family, and Allison segues to this royal family related apology on Good Morning America.
Today, we're discussing risky activities: what are they, why should we care, and what can we do about them. We review our position on various types of risky activities and how we came to the position over the course of several years. We also offer several alternative activities to traditionally risky activities.
In this episode, we reference the following resources:
- Position Paper: Risky Activities
- Risk Management Bulletin: Risky Activities
- Liability Claim Example: Inflatables
- Participant Liability Waiver Template
- What should I look for when reviewing a contract for an event?
- Event Contract Review: A Step-by-Step Guide
- Bounce house injuries are more common than you might think (Washington Post)
As always, at the end, we discuss what we can't stop talking about outside of sorority risk management.
Allison: T Swift
Sara: Spontaneous family trip to Old Crow Medicine Show
Ruth Akers, Senior Account Manager, and Allison Mrasek, Client Executive, discuss some of the basics of event planning. This is a huge topic, so Ruth is sure to be back on the podcast soon to discuss the ins and outs of event planning in more detail. Be sure to send your questions to realtalk@mjsorority.com!
For more Event Planning resources, check out our website.
Check out our website for more basic information on risk management at mjsorority.com. If you have specific questions from this episode, please email us at realtalk@mjsorority.com.
Allison can't stop talking about the cheesiest requests that she receives at weddings, and Sara can't stop talking about her favorite summer reads:
- Daisy Jones and the Six
- The River
- Tell Me Three Things
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