September 19, 2017
Elise Turner
Students employees now have one more requirement to meet before their first day on the job.
Effective since May 19, Human Resources now requires all prospective student employees to pass a background check prior to employment.
“The reason the university wants to complete background checks for every employment group is to maintain a safe and productive educational, research and employment environment on our campus,” said Shannon Cable, director of Financial Aid and Student Employment.
All four campuses within the CU System, which include UCCS, CU Boulder, CU Denver and the Anschutz Medical Campus, adopted the same process, using a company called HireRight. Students must now sign the authorization form and fill out two additional forms through HireRight.
The first form gives the company permission to collect information and run a background check, while the second form asks for information such as the student’s social security number and driver’s license number.
Required background checks include a criminal history check, a sex offender registry check, and a social security trace. Optional checks include a motor vehicle check and educational verification.
Applicants are not hired until Human Resources receives the cleared background check report from the HireRight processing agency. Students who refuse to consent to the background check are not considered for employment.
Students who have worked on campus before and are applying for a new job will be required to go through the process as well.
Sophomore psychology major Beth Dandino works as a student employee in two offices this semester: the Office of First Year Experience and in the Office of Student Recruitment. Dandino said that she was only required complete the extra paperwork for the Student Recruitment position.
“It honestly took me less than 10 minutes to set up my HireRight account and fill out the questions it asked. I got my background check verification and was approved within a day,” Dandino said.
Cable said there is no payment required for the job applicant. The department that the student is employed for will pay the fee, which averages at $40 per student employee, pays depends on the thoroughness of a background check.
For example, a student employee hired to deal with financial information will be required to complete a more thorough check.
For departments on campus, the background check has added to hiring paperwork. Ariadna Coffman, assistant director of Student Recruitment and Admissions, said that more steps have been added to her department’s hiring process.
“On the employer side, it’s so much more work than before. Before, we just sent the students to Student Employment for a brief orientation, and now there are several other steps,” said Coffman.
Coffman hired 10 new employees last week.
Students should take various requirements into consideration for their background checks if they look for employment on campus.
For the criminal history check, a passing applicant for the criminal history should have no serious felonies, including homicide and sexual assault.
According to the UCCS Employment Background Check Policy approved by Chancellor Venkat Reddy, an applicant has “no felony conviction for drug use or distribution in the ten (10) years immediately preceding the submission of his/her application for employment at UCCS…”
In a financial history check, the policy specifies that “judgement, wage garnishments, liens, orders for unpaid child support… credit history, and past due accounts will be taken into consideration.”
For more information on the background check policy and to view the Backrgound Release Form, visit uccs.edu/Documents/hrcompliance/Background%20Release%20Form%208-22-16.pdf