Undergoing numerous changes, the Chant Market is now in the works of becoming the Chant Market Club, shielding vendors from having to attain business insurance.
The Chant Market allows CCU students and faculty vendors to sell their products on Prince Lawn: a pop-up event inviting people to buy homemade jewelry, clothes and many other crafty items.
On Jan. 7, Chant Market Coordinator Brian Nicosia received an email from Director of University Compliance Meredith Canady concerning an updated Chant Market Vendor Agreement and Assumption of Risk Waiver.
According to the email, the updated document reflected a shift from an “initial swap-only format to a for-profit market.”
The agreement had numerous changes, including an updated witness signature requirement, an update concerning the prohibition of stakes in the ground and the newly required certificate of insurance for student vendors.
Another email stated further that since Chant Market participants are selling goods for a profit, they are engaging in commercial enterprises. Therefore, they are required to operate in compliance with the expectations of for-profit endeavors and attain business insurance.
Following a series of emails between Nicosia and Canady, the discussion was then brought to University Counsel and Senior Leadership, in hopes of seeking an alternative framework other than requiring students to attain business insurance.
Nicosia reached out to the Student Government Association (SGA) and University Leadership via email, with the financial impact on student vendors being his main concern. Business insurance varies by different factors, with Insuranceopedia generally quoting around $65 per month.
Nicosia offered the alternative of a blanket liability policy for student vendors, with the financial impact on student vendors being Nicosia’s his concern. Nicosia’s wrote that requiring business insurance would “undermine the low-stakes, entry-level nature of the market” that was intended for students.
Nicosia concluded his email by suggesting additional guidance from the university on how student vendors can navigate such new requirements.
“If individual insurance or licensing ultimately becomes a requirement, it would also be helpful for the university to provide guidance, instruction, or centralized resources to help students understand and obtain what is necessary, so that the educational goals of the market are still supported,” Nicosia wrote.
In addition, multiple CCU vendors emailed SGA with their concerns about the Chant Market, resulting in an SGA meeting with CCU Legal during the first week of February to gain clarification, while addressing student and community concerns.
SGA President Lyndsey Gilbert represented SGA at the meeting and explained participating student perspectives in an interview with The Chanticleer.
“The main concern is the cost of those two, and I think the concern was kind of generated from the fact that the shop market is supposed to give students the chance to explore if their business is sustainable. You know, if they like running a business, that they can see this as being like a significant part of their future, or it’s just a fun time hobby,” Gilbert said.
In accordance with student concerns, SGA passed a resolution urging to formally support the preservation of the Chant Market’s “accessible structure” and “advocate for student entrepreneurship through university-backed liability coverage” on Feb. 23.
Written by Trinity Hall and co-sponsored by Gilbert, as well as CCU’s Student Life committee, the Bill on Coastal Chant Market bill was sent to the University Counsel, the Office of the President, the Chanticleer Newspaper and Nicosia.
The bill stated urged the University Counsel and the President’s Office to provide “blanket liability coverage for the event or implement a waiver system similar to peer institutions.”
The bill put forward this initiative to preserve Chant Market as a viable and flourishing resource for students. To combat concerns, Coastal Connections approved the Chant Market to become an official CCU student organization, now known as the Chant Market Club.
The new club’s description on the Coastal Connections website states, “The club exists to provide students with an accessible opportunity to sell handmade goods, art, clothing, crafts, and other small-scale products in a supportive campus environment without the expectation of operating as an established business.”
The president of the Chant Market Club is Jackson Barber, a sophomore business marketing major, and members will pay $10 dues.
