The UMD background check process supports the Board of Regents policies: Employee Recruitment and Retention and Safety of Minors. It furthers important University efforts to provide a safe and secure environment for all University students, employees, and visitors to protect its funds, property, and other assets. Therefore, the University provides this formal process of background checks and verification (1) to minimize institutional risk; (2) to comply with federal and state regulations that require it for specific positions; and (3) to help responsible hiring authorities make sound hires.
The University’s Background Check Policy covers:
- individuals being offered employment in, or being transferred or reassigned to, non-student positions;
- individuals, including non-employees and student workers, being assigned duties where checks are legally or contractually required;
- Non-employees, including student workers, who are assigned duties that include security-sensitive work; and,
- pursuant to the administrative policy, Safety of Minors, paid and unpaid individuals interacting with or overseeing minors in program activities or recreational or residential facilities.
UMD HR implemented a new UMD Background Check Request Cover Letter for Post Docs / Professionals-in-Training, Civil Service, Labor Represented, Faculty, Professional & Administrative (P&A) Employees, Temp/Casuals, and Student Workers. A new job aid accompanies the UMD Background Check Request Cover Letter. Departments, units, and colleges are responsible for initiating background checks through UMD HR via the appropriate documents. The department, unit, or college will incur the charges associated with their background checks. There is a separate request form for Student Clinical and Field Placements (see the UMD Student Clinical and Field Placements tab for more information). The documents can be located in the Forms Library section of the UMD HR website.
For positions where background checks are required, they must be successfully completed and passed prior to the individual’s first day of work.
Temporary non-student positions are covered under the policy and a background check is required to be successfully completed and passed prior to the individual’s first day of work.
Student worker positions are not covered under the University’s Administrative Policy: Background Checks and Verifications unless a background check is required under law, a contract (such as a research grant), required by the unit, involves work with minors under the Administrative Policy: Safety of Minors, has been identified by the University as requiring a background check based on duties performed, or where the University has already established a practice of conducting these checks. UMD HR strongly recommends the practice of conducting background checks on student workers in an effort to provide a safe and secure environment for all University students, employees, and visitors as well as to protect the University’s funds, property, and other assets. More information can be found in the Appendix - Positions for Which Background Verification Is Advisable.
Non-employees, including student workers, are required to successfully complete a background check if they will be performing security-sensitive work similar to that listed in Appendix - Background Check Requirements for Non-Employees. Security-sensitive duties include but are not limited to, having access to cash, checks, and credit cards, possession of keys, access to security-sensitive areas, access to personally identifiable information about students, faculty, staff, or alumni, access to financial, health care, student or other confidential information, etc. For positions where background checks are required, they must be successfully completed and passed prior to the individual’s first day of work.
Processing of the Form:
Complete the UMD Background Check Request Cover Letter electronically. Send the form along with any attachments to [email protected] for UMD HR to process through HireRight. The expectation is that UMD HR enters the Background Check into HireRight within 1 working day of receiving it at [email protected] from the department, unit, or college. Background checks can take a few days to a few weeks to complete depending on multiple aspects including but not limited to, how timely the applicant enters their information, if the information entered by the applicant is complete and accurate or if HireRight needs to follow up with the applicant to have them provide additional information, ensuring the applicant enters the information into HireRight that allows verification of the minimum qualifications for the position they are applying for, how timely employers, educational facilities, states and counties, etc. respond with information back to HireRight or if it is an international background check. It is important that the information submitted to UMD HR on the UMD Background Check Request Cover Letter is accurate to avoid delays in processing as well as to ensure the background check is entered in the correct HireRight account. UMD has three accounts through HireRight.If the background check is submitted under the wrong account, delays and additional fees will likely occur.
Be sure the individual knows they will receive an email from HireRight (not UMD) at an email address such as [email protected]. Individuals are asked to create a user ID in order to enter the HireRight system. When asked for a user ID, the individual should use the same email address they used to receive the email. The individual has 7 days to complete the elink or it will expire.
**Important Notes**
- Background checks must be successfully completed and passed prior to the first day of work. Please plan accordingly.
- All employees who are promoted (by a selection process) require successful completion and passing of a background check prior to starting their new position.
- Employees who are reclassified (resulting from the evaluation of their current position) do not require a background check.
- Employees who transfer or are reassigned require successful completion and passing of a background check if the new role is substantially different from the employee’s previous role.
- If an employee’s appointment at the University ends and the employee is subsequently rehired in the same or similar position within 12 months of their end date, a new background check is not required. If it has been more than 12 months since their end date, a new background check is required to be successfully completed and passed prior to the first day of work.
- Standard package background checks submitted as international or safety of minors are valid for 3 years.
Questions:
If you have any questions regarding background checks, please contact UMD HR via email at [email protected] or by phone at 218-726-7161.