Helping student orgs sort the possibilities

The engineering students aspired to build a human jet pack, something the fictional James Bond might fancy, and inquired about establishing a student club in which to do it. Senior risk and systems analyst Kurt Beyer, risk management, didn't flinch.

"Any other university might have laughed at them. We realized they probably could pull it off, so we needed a plan for what they would need to accomplish it," Beyer said.  

He asked Cyclone Rocketry club advisor Bill Diesslin, environmental health and safety, to provide the group a list of considerations to address in their club proposal and they got to work, investigating and writing. In the end, a few details derailed their ambition: The jet engines would be too loud for campus buildings, and the students weren't interested in substituting a mannequin in any test runs.  

The point is, the students' idea wasn't rejected out of hand.

"We never start at 'no,'" Beyer said. " We start with 'How would this be possible?' How could we get to yes -- and is it possible?"

From a perspective of reasonable

Beyer is part of a nine-member team in risk management, each of whom has specific experience and expertise -- international programming, youth programs on campus, insurance, for example. What they all bring to the job is logical thinking, understanding and applying procedures, relying on subject matter experts, consistency and generally taking the approach of 'what would a reasonable person do in this situation?'

Beyer's smaller duties include behind-the-scenes work on the office's incident reporting system and reviewing event requests (university or third-party groups) that include alcohol, animals, fireworks, weapons or drones. But he spends most of his time on student organization requests and processes. He's protecting students as much as he is the university's reputation.

"We're very involved with what student orgs do, but they are not us -- they are separate from the university. And they should be; it's to their benefit," he said. "My responsibility is to make sure guardrails are in place so a student organization is equipped to make plans and judgments themselves -- because it's their baby."

It’s not called risk prevention

All student organizations designate one member to be a risk management officer, trained to minimize that group's risk. And groups that meet higher risk criteria have to be affiliated with a department that can provide expertise. Departments, he said, decide their capacity to support clubs.  

"Maybe a department decides five or six is fine, but nine is too many. That's the pinch point for student clubs," Beyer said. "But we still have 800 clubs, and they're doing every imaginable thing.  

"You have to accept some risk to have as many student experiences going on as this university does," he added. "We have rules for student orgs. We have a lot of operations and processes they have to go through, but ultimately, their success or failure is based on their own efforts."

For example, when the solar car team wanted to compete in an Australian solar race in October 2017 -- and several American universities simply told their teams "you're not going" -- Iowa State staff worked on managing the known risks. The team's preparation included survival skills specific to the Australian outback and driver training for the left side of the road.

For higher-risk student organizations, an arrival at "no" may take care of itself if the group can't find: a department who will manage it, a subject expert to assist or an appropriate facility to call home. A new tier of student organization, called "enthusiast," allows students to get together to talk about and research a topic, but not to actually do it.

Beyer is quick to point out that the risk management staff doesn't work in isolation. Far from it. Sometimes their role is to get all the right people in the room to talk, he said.  

"Maybe there's a long email thread, a bunch of people are in the conversation, but it's not clear someone will claim it as their lane. We (risk management) probably don't say much, but they each talk about the piece they know and reach an agreement."

You have to accept some risk to have as many student experiences going on as this university does. We have rules for student orgs. We have a lot of operations and processes they have to go through, but ultimately, their success or failure is based on their own efforts.

— Kurt  Beyer

The office of student engagement in the Memorial Union is the team that reviews and approves requests from student orgs. Assistant director Kevin Merrill said Beyer's career in student affairs and his respectful approach make him credible with student groups.

"We tell students all the time that successful events are fun and safe. If you lose one of those, for example, if someone gets hurt, then it's not a successful event," Merrill said.

He recalled an unusually cold 5K run during a WinterFest celebration and botched communication between friends that created some needless strife for staff. To prevent similar headaches, a team, including Beyer, developed a roster of vetted, preapproved fun run routes of various lengths.

"Risk management wanted that process streamlined for students, who probably aren't seeking a custom route," Merrill said. "By doing that, it mitigates danger for the students and builds in some consistency for the staff -- ISU Police or facilities planning and management -- involved in those events. The emphasis is back on fun, not how far you need to run.

"So, we're setting them up for success, but always expecting them to do their part," he added.

Unflappable

Two qualities make Beyer especially good at his job: His respect for the university and an understanding that he's never done learning.

"I want to know everything about every conceivable subject, and I want everything in context," he said. "If someone brings up something new, I try to connect it to something similar as a starting point." He's always been that way. "I was the 15-year-old who wanted to complete a video game 100% to experience all the possible endings."

Merrill noted that Beyer's knowledge and history "save a lot of people a lot of work."

Beyer the alumnus is motivated to do his best, especially for Iowa State.

"I appreciate what Iowa State is and what Iowa State does -- and what we allow our students to do. As an alum and as someone who believes in the land-grant state university mission, I want to see Iowa State succeed," he said.  

Beyer first landed on campus from a farm outside of Otley, between Des Moines and Pella. He studied agronomy and ag systems technology, on the outside chance he'd return to farming. But his college experience became "everything other than my degree programs, which has a lot to do with why I'm in risk management now."

He was a Cyclone Aide for admissions, got involved in Homecoming planning including as 2003 general co-chair and served two years with the Student Alumni Leadership Council (SALC). Perhaps most influentially, he joined the FarmHouse fraternity where he was surrounded by guys who challenged him and "were better than me at everything -- and that's a good place to be. You can always reach out to someone with a skill you don't have."

Following three years at Miami University, Ohio, where his spouse, teaching professor in event management Jamie Beyer, worked as an academic advisor and Kurt completed a master's degree, the couple intentionally returned to Ames.  

Beyer had served for eight years as advisor to SALC when the risk management post opened "on the other side of the table I'd been at," as both a student and an advisor.