2008 Woodie Awards
Background check provision passed for Marshall employees
Deven Swartz
Issue date: 2/6/08 Section: News
Employees who apply for jobs at Marshall University or Marshall Community and Technical College must now undergo background checks.
The Board of Governors passed the background check provision, Policy No. HR-14, during its Oct. 16 meeting, marking the first time the university has required background checks campuswide, the policy said.
"We hope, though, that departments have been performing these checks for a while because it's a sound hiring practice," Jim Stephens, human resources director, said.
Stephens sent an e-mail to the university faculty listserv Jan. 31 stating the new policy affects all faculty and staff hired on or after Nov. 1, the policy's effective date.
Current faculty and staff who apply for new positions will be exempt from a background check as well, Stephens said.
Other exemptions noted in the policy include adjunct faculty, student employees in general and applicants who underwent a university background check within the past 12 months.
Student employees required to undergo background checks include those applying for health and research positions, as well as those who must regularly interact with minors, as stated in the policy.
Nearly every new employee who has undergone a background check under the new policy has passed so far, Stephens said.
Marshall's Human Resources and hiring departments will control the progress of the background checks in house.
They plan on using third party vendors to aid in conducting the checks, Stephens said.
The policy states new full-time employees will undergo verification of the last 10 years of employment.
There will be verification of all postsecondary education credentials listed on any correspondence.
Those employees will also undergo criminal background checks in all places they have lived in the past 10 years, as well as a sex and violent offender registry check in all locations they have ever lived.
Part-time hires will undergo only the criminal history and sex and violent offender registry checks, according to the policy.
The Board of Governors passed the background check provision, Policy No. HR-14, during its Oct. 16 meeting, marking the first time the university has required background checks campuswide, the policy said.
"We hope, though, that departments have been performing these checks for a while because it's a sound hiring practice," Jim Stephens, human resources director, said.
Stephens sent an e-mail to the university faculty listserv Jan. 31 stating the new policy affects all faculty and staff hired on or after Nov. 1, the policy's effective date.
Current faculty and staff who apply for new positions will be exempt from a background check as well, Stephens said.
Other exemptions noted in the policy include adjunct faculty, student employees in general and applicants who underwent a university background check within the past 12 months.
Student employees required to undergo background checks include those applying for health and research positions, as well as those who must regularly interact with minors, as stated in the policy.
Nearly every new employee who has undergone a background check under the new policy has passed so far, Stephens said.
Marshall's Human Resources and hiring departments will control the progress of the background checks in house.
They plan on using third party vendors to aid in conducting the checks, Stephens said.
The policy states new full-time employees will undergo verification of the last 10 years of employment.
There will be verification of all postsecondary education credentials listed on any correspondence.
Those employees will also undergo criminal background checks in all places they have lived in the past 10 years, as well as a sex and violent offender registry check in all locations they have ever lived.
Part-time hires will undergo only the criminal history and sex and violent offender registry checks, according to the policy.
Be the first to comment on this story