Kansas University administrators say Sunday’s storm made it clear that the institution would be better off if it could choose its own insurance coverage instead of relying on state government.

“It certainly is an example of why we need to have the insurance or have the ability to decide what kind of insurance we need,” said Theresa Klinkenberg, KU’s chief financial officer.

Senate Bill 332, which has passed the Senate, would allow universities to choose and purchase their own insurance.

KU administrators are asking lawmakers to give them more flexibility in decision-making on several fronts.

Currently, Klinkenberg said, the state only allows KU to insure housing or buildings funded by gifts or the sale of bonds. Such facilities, which include the Lied Center, have a $50,000 deductible.

She said all other campus buildings fall under the statewide property insurance policy, which has a $5 million deductible.

Left uninsured are KU’s computers and lab and research equipment, including the $1.9 million nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer, a big magnet in the Structural Biology Center on west campus.

If KU administrators were granted the ability to make their own assessments about insurance needs, Klinkenberg said they might try to address the $5 million deductible.

“That is certainly one area where we will definitely look at bridging that gap in the future,” she said. “I think it’s too high.”

Klinkenberg said KU also would research whether it would insure various pieces of research equipment.

The purpose of insurance is to prepare for disastrous situations like Sunday’s storm, said Paul Carttar, executive vice chancellor for external affairs. He said gaining the authority to select insurance coverage did not mean the university would use it without discretion.

Estimated damage to campus is $6 million.