New Tar Heel faculty face background checks
By: Julia Vail, Staff Writer
Issue date: 3/28/07 Section: Online Exclusives
Effective July 1, potential faculty members will have to complete an extra step to become a part of the Tar Heel community.
Members of the Board of Trustees and the Faculty Council heard about a new plan last week from University officials. The policy means that the hiring process for new faculty members now will include a criminal background check.
"This is something that a number of schools, within the UNC system and elsewhere, are doing," Executive Associate Provost Steve Allred said. "It's more out of caution and being proactive."
He said the Department of Public Safety will perform the checks on a case-by-case basis.
All staff and non-faculty applicants to the University already have to undergo criminal background checks.
According to the new policy, this rule will extend to people who are offered or approved as final candidates for faculty positions.
"We're not expecting many positive results (on the background checks)," Allred said. "But we have a duty to exercise reasonable care."
He said criminal background checks will be conducted only for incoming candidates and will not be required for subsequent promotions or reappointments.
Matt Brody, assistant provost for academic personnel, said the results of the background checks will be limited to criminal convictions or guilty pleas. However, even a criminal conviction might not ruin an applicant's chances.
"The presence of a prior criminal conviction or plea admitting guilt is not an automatic bar," he said.
"The circumstances will be reviewed by the dean's office to determine if the conviction is relevant to the appointment."
The appropriate dean also will consider the length of time since the conviction, the age of the applicant at the time of the conviction and the likelihood of future illegal activity. The final decision will be subject to review by the provost.
Some faculty members at the Faculty Council meeting Friday raised questions about the new policy.
Steven Bachenheimer, professor of microbiology and immunology, said it is important that background checks are applied uniformly.
"If the same person is subjected to a background check more than once, it would present a burden for administration," he said. "I think it's important for people to think about the implications."
In addition, some faculty said at the meetings that it is much more difficult to obtain reliable data on international applicants than domestic applicants.
"We'll simply have to rely on the visa process," Allred said.
He added that the policy will not affect the University's policy of hiring international faculty members.
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
Members of the Board of Trustees and the Faculty Council heard about a new plan last week from University officials. The policy means that the hiring process for new faculty members now will include a criminal background check.
"This is something that a number of schools, within the UNC system and elsewhere, are doing," Executive Associate Provost Steve Allred said. "It's more out of caution and being proactive."
He said the Department of Public Safety will perform the checks on a case-by-case basis.
All staff and non-faculty applicants to the University already have to undergo criminal background checks.
According to the new policy, this rule will extend to people who are offered or approved as final candidates for faculty positions.
"We're not expecting many positive results (on the background checks)," Allred said. "But we have a duty to exercise reasonable care."
He said criminal background checks will be conducted only for incoming candidates and will not be required for subsequent promotions or reappointments.
Matt Brody, assistant provost for academic personnel, said the results of the background checks will be limited to criminal convictions or guilty pleas. However, even a criminal conviction might not ruin an applicant's chances.
"The presence of a prior criminal conviction or plea admitting guilt is not an automatic bar," he said.
"The circumstances will be reviewed by the dean's office to determine if the conviction is relevant to the appointment."
The appropriate dean also will consider the length of time since the conviction, the age of the applicant at the time of the conviction and the likelihood of future illegal activity. The final decision will be subject to review by the provost.
Some faculty members at the Faculty Council meeting Friday raised questions about the new policy.
Steven Bachenheimer, professor of microbiology and immunology, said it is important that background checks are applied uniformly.
"If the same person is subjected to a background check more than once, it would present a burden for administration," he said. "I think it's important for people to think about the implications."
In addition, some faculty said at the meetings that it is much more difficult to obtain reliable data on international applicants than domestic applicants.
"We'll simply have to rely on the visa process," Allred said.
He added that the policy will not affect the University's policy of hiring international faculty members.
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
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