STRIPES initiative 'frozen'

The initiative would lower the driving age for STRIPES to 18.

By Matt Reinig

Published Sept. 16, 2008

This article has been altered to clarify Avis' position.

The initiative to open up driving for STRIPES to 18-year-olds, which would put more cars and volunteers on the roads, is at a standstill.

Negotiations between STRIPES, Avis and Enterprise Rent-A-Car, the agency STRIPES currently operates with, are stagnant because of varying insurance policies.

Former UM system Risk and Insurance Management Director William Payton filed a memo in 2003 agreeing that MU's insurance would cover any damages to the rental cars driven by student volunteers, including those under 21.

STRIPES Director Domingo Pacheco said UM system Office of Risk Management director Ed Knollmeyer has that memo, but has not updated it to send to Avis.

"He's the only one who's authorized to do it to the best of my knowledge," Pacheco said.

Knollmeyer was not available for comment.

Pacheco said Avis' lack of the university insurance policy memo is narrowing STRIPES' options.

"Avis isn't going to come down here until they have the memo on file," Pacheco said. "For Avis to come down here from St. Louis and sign anything, they have to have this memo on file that says that the university covers the damage to the vehicle."

Avis Budget Group Corporate Account Manager Kathleen Carpentier said in an e-mail that Avis is waiting for final approval from the UM system before continuing negotiations.

"I am waiting on the university for final approval," Carpentier said. "They asked us to change some verbiage, we did, and now I am waiting the final OK."

Pacheco also said that Enterprise has the insurance policy memo, and that they have been accommodating to STRIPES.

"They agreed for the first time ever in print, in an e-mail, that age isn't an issue now," Pacheco said. "They're just examining the liabilities associated with that added risk. It's the first time that they've basically went all in and were willing to put it in print via e-mail, memo, whatever."

Enterprise spokesman Patrick Farrell said nothing has been cemented between Enterprise and STRIPES.

"The rental age was 21, and the movement is to move it down to 18," Farrell said. "There's some liability issues associated with that to the point of where we've had to stop and take pause and figure out what that means going forward. And we also have to have some conversations not only with the folks from STRIPES but also some folks from the university."

Farrell also said that though Enterprise is willing to work with STRIPES and the UM system, nothing is conclusive as of now.

"The main message is we're still going back and forth on this and nothing has been resolved," Farrell said.

STRIPES has also worked in conjunction with the Missouri Students Association in its attempts to lower the age to drive.

"My job is to make sure that, as far as the decisions they make, that the liability of the organization is not being unnecessarily, unduly exposed," MSA adviser Farouk Aregbe said.

Aregbe also spoke of the liabilities in the potential negotiations between STRIPES, Avis, Enterprise and MU.

"We've been working on the risk management manual for STRIPES to talk about procedures in terms of what to do," Aregbe said. "If the headquarters loses communication with the car, what do we do? If there's an emergency, what do we do? So, those kinds of things."

Aregbe said nothing has changed in the way STRIPES operates, for now.

"Avis is being pursued and being talked to, Enterprise is being pursued and being talked to," he said. "A decision has not been made. That decision is going to be incumbent on what happens through those conversations."