Effective Date Aug 1, 2016

8.2 Background Checks

Policy

The purpose of this policy is to help strengthen recruiting practices and protect students, faculty, and staff. This policy is designed to ensure new hires/rehires are meeting the high standards of Florida Tech.  It is important that Florida Tech's academic and research missions are supported by qualified employees in a safe and secure environment for all the University constituents, visitors and employees. All offers of employment at the university are contingent upon a thorough background check. As of the date of this policy, background checks will be conducted on all newly hired faculty, staff and camp volunteers. Background investigations will be performed on current employees only in very limited situations, such as where needed as part of an investigation into an incident or allegation, where safety or security is a concern, or when a current employee applies for a new position. Background checks may include, but is not limited to the following:

• Social Security validates the applicant's social security number, date of birth and former addresses.
• Prior Employment Verification confirms applicant's employment with the provided companies, including dates of employment, position held and additional information available pertaining to salary/wages, performance rating, and reason for departure and eligibility for rehire. This will be run on past two employers or five years, whichever comes first.
• Multi-County Criminal History will be run on counties that applicants have listed on the release form. This will include counties of past residence for a period of up to seven years.
• National Criminal History checks district courts for any crimes committed in violation of federal law in district of current residence.
• Personal and Professional References: Calls will be placed to individuals listed as references by an applicant.
• Educational Verification confirms the applicant's claimed educational institution, including the years attended and the degree/diploma received.

The following additional searches will be required if applicable to the position:

• Motor Vehicle provides a report on an individual's driving history in the state requested. This search will be run when driving is an essential requirement of the position.
• Credit History confirms candidate's credit history. This search will be run for positions that involve management of university funds and/or handling of cash.

Procedure

After a verbal employment offer is made, the chosen candidate must complete the Pre-Employment Certification/Release form. Instructions will be forwarded to the candidate from Human Resources at that time. Human Resources will notify the hiring manager upon receipt of the signed release and the anticipated time needed to run the background check and obtain the results. The chosen candidate is not to begin work prior to the hiring manager receiving approval from Human Resources. 

The Office of Human Resources will coordinate the background with a designated third party vendor. The type of background investigation that is to be performed shall be based on the requirements of the position/situation and will be at the discretion of the Associate Vice President of Human Resources in consultation with the appropriate Senior Vice President. All background checks must be coordinated through the Office of Human Resources, except those conducted in conjunction with an external academic affiliation program (e.g. clinical experiences for psychologists).

The Human Resources representative will notify the hiring manager regarding the results of the background check. Specific results will not be given to departments; managers will be told only that the applicant has satisfactory or unsatisfactory background investigation results.  

Background results are not an automatic bar to employment at the University. Background investigation results will be used only to determine the finalist’s qualifications and suitability for employment, and will not be used to discriminate on any basis protected by applicable law. If a decision not to hire or promote a candidate is made based on the results of a background check, there may be certain additional Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requirements. The Office of Human Resources will be responsible for handling such FCRA requirements as necessary. The university will follow all applicable FCRA requirements throughout the background check process. Documents with results of background investigation findings will not be stored or maintained by the University unless there is a legal reason for doing so. Any stored documentation will be printed, kept separate from an employee’s personnel file, and located in a locked file.