The Ad Hoc Committee on Background Checks, which has been meeting
weekly since May, has received its formal charge from President Stephen
Jordan.
The committee’s charge reads as follows: The Ad Hoc Committee on
Background Checks is charged with reviewing the College’s
background-check policies and practices, and making recommendations
that will assure, to the extent reasonable within the College’s
financial means and priorities, that the College is able to review all
relevant background information in each individual case, while
complying with all of its legal obligations to candidates and
employees, including but not limited to rights based on privacy laws.
The committee was formed after the President’s Cabinet voted to
approve a temporary policy on background checks in February. (To read
more, go to http://www.mscd.edu/~collcom/artman/publish/background_twv5020608.shtml.)
Lynn Kaersvang, professor of social work and newly elected president
of the Faculty Senate, is the committee chair. She said that all the
campus constituencies wanted to be included on the committee.
“We’re very tuned into the concerns of the campus,” Kaersvang said,
“and knew that it would be important for everyone to be represented. We
want to encourage employees to voice their concerns to their
representative.”
The Student Government Assembly has been invited to name a representative, but has not as yet done so, she added.
In explaining the need for background checks, Kaersvang said, “The
College is concerned about providing a safe environment for employees
and students, and at the same time, wants to protect the privacy of
employees.”
According to Kaersvang, the background check that the College is performing for new hires covers three items only:
• Social security verification (required to be in compliance with federal laws)
• Criminal convictions (not arrests or charges)
• Sexual offender registry
Criminal convictions and sexual offender registries already are public information.
“In most cases,” she said, “those three things are all that are
being checked. For those positions that have responsibility for
handling College financial resources, a credit check is being done. For
positions that require driving, the driving record is being checked.”
An interim consent form is currently being used. This form is not as
broad as the previous form, Kaersvang said, and limits the time for
which consent is given. “The original consent form actually required
people to give broader consent than the College requires.”
The committee will develop and recommend a background-check policy
and make recommendations regarding the interim form currently
in use.
“We hope to make our recommendations by the end of July,” Kaersvang said.
Other committee members include:
Charles Batey, associate director, Equal Opportunity
Michael Bussey, Human Resources information systems
security administrator
Lee Combs, general counsel
Percy Morehouse, executive director, Equal Opportunity
Hal Nees, associate professor of criminal justice and criminology
Randy Proctor, office manager, Office of the Registrar
Russell Reynolds, Council of Administrators president and coordinator,
Assessment and Testing Center
Jeff Schweinfest, advisor, Academic Advising
Robert Slay, administrator, Family Center
Ranea Taylor, assistant director, Human Resources
Greg Watts, head of the Council of Chairs and chair of the
Art Department
Pat Yarrow, Classified Council president and program assistant,
Art Department
Judy Zewe, executive director, Human Resources
