Amateur zombie hunters will have to stow their Nerf guns and dirty socks until spring.
This week’s Humans vs. Zombies game has been canceled.
According to Jesse Schmitt, president of Gators Humans vs. Zombies, he was contacted early last week by UF officials from the Office of Risk Management and the Center for Student Activities and Involvement who were concerned about insurance liability issues because some participants are not UF students.
These participants would not be covered by UF’s insurance policy in the event of an injury or other accident.
Schmitt said that the game usually draws some outside participants, especially from nearby Santa Fe College.
“The way the system is currently set up, I can’t control that,” Schmitt said.
Humans vs. Zombies already requires participants to sign a liability waiver, but Schmitt said he was told that this waiver could not cover outside participants.
Because Schmitt was unaware of the university’s policy, he said, he was unable to find a policy in time for the game and decided to postpone it until the spring.
Beth Waltrip, director of campus programs in the Center for Student Activities and Involvement, said the event is unusual because it involves undetermined numbers of outside participants over a period of several days.
“If they invited non-students last time, we were unaware,” Waltrip said.
Schmitt said he regrets canceling the game but still hopes to break the world record of 1,537 participants in the next game.
“I apologize, personally, and I hope everyone comes out for spring because we’re still going for the world record.”
