Office of Human Resources - Background & Fingerprint Checks
Frequently Asked Questions
Criminal Background & Fingerprint Investigations
SUBJECT AREAS |
QUESTIONS? West and Downtown |
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| ACCESS AND PRIVACY | HIRING ISSUES | |
| FUNDING, COSTS & LIABILITY | STUDENT EMPLOYMENT ISSUES | |
| TIME ISSUES | PROCESS & FORMS | |
General Information
Why do we have this policy?
What does a background check consist of?
Do current employees have to undergo a criminal background check?
When are criminal background checks required?
Are we required to have candidates complete the Employment Application?
Who will be subject to a background check?
When should the Criminal Background Check process be initiated?
What is the difference between the standard criminal background check and the fingerprint investigation?
How is the determination made regarding a security-sensitive position?
Do international applicants require a background check?
If someone has a fingerprint clearance card, do they require fingerprinting?
If fingerprints are required for a position, does a separate criminal background check need to take place?
What type of background check is required for departments handling cash?
Access and Privacy
Who will have access to the criminal background check results?
How will the University protect an individual’s right to privacy?
How long will background verification reports remain on file?
Funding, Costs & Financial Liability
What are the costs for criminal background checks, who determines the rates and who pays for them?
What are the costs associated with fingerprinting?
Time Issues
How long does a criminal background check take?
Hiring Issues
Can employees be hired before the criminal background check has cleared?
Are part-time or temporary positions covered by this policy?
Are criminal background checks required for employees on semester leaves?
Are criminal background checks required for rehired employees?
Student Employment Issues
Can departments request a criminal background check on student employees?
When are student volunteers required to have criminal background checks?
Process & Forms
What forms and documents do I need—and where can I get them?
Where do I send the form?
General Information
Why do we have this policy?
To protect the campus community and its assets, the University must be certain individuals assigned to campus positions have no history of criminal behavior relevant to their employment. Although this policy is no guarantee against criminal acts, it does reduce the likelihood of crime, and may reduce the campus’s liability if a crime occurs. It also helps protect hiring departments from the possibility of lawsuits; potentially saving time and boosting morale.
READ THE POLICY: ACD-126
The new policy is used in conjunction with our existing recruitment and employment policies to help ASU to identify the best-qualified candidates for employment at the university.
What does a background check consist of?
Departments must request a complete background investigation report on all final candidates who are offered jobs. A department, at their discretion, may choose to complete backgrounds investigations on all candidates interviewed.
Departments also can conduct the professional standard pre-employment background check (employment verification, professional references, professional licensure/certification and academic credentials) on their own, or elect to use the services of HireRight Inc.
Criminal history background checks must be conducted by HireRight Inc. The company also conducts motor vehicle checks, if required.
Do current employees have to undergo criminal background checks?
Current employees do not have to undergo criminal background checks unless they apply for an “open competitive position” within the university; then, they will be subject to a standard criminal background check or a fingerprint investigation, depending on the nature of the position.
Internal promotions or change in classifications within a department do NOT require a background check.
Any employee of a university, who seeks a transfer, a reclassification or a reassignment to a security or safety-sensitive position, will require fingerprinting.
Per ARS 15-1649: The finalist shall submit a full set of fingerprints to the university for the purpose of obtaining a state and federal criminal records check pursuant to section 41-1750 and Public Law 92-544.
When are criminal background checks required?
Criminal Background checks are required before an individual begins work. Typically, the criminal background check is requested when a finalist for a position is identified. If the background check has been requested but is not yet completed, the hiring official may extend a conditional offer of employment to the candidate, conditioned on a satisfactory background check.
If the position is designated as a “security or safety-sensitive” position, then the candidate must undergo a fingerprint check in lieu of the standard background check, per the terms of ACD 126 (Reference Check and Background Verification).
Are we required to have candidates complete the Employment Application?
The employment application is no longer required. Candidates now are asked to visit our website at www.asu.edu/asujobs to apply to any of our available jobs online.
Who will be subject to a background check?
This policy is not based on FTE. The policy applies to all full-time, part time, faculty, administrative, classified staff, academic, service professionals, waivers and emergency hires. Refer to ACD 126 Policy and SPP 201-01.
When should the Criminal Background Check process be initiated?
The background check should be initiated when, through the normal hiring process, a finalist(s) is identified. At the time of interview, the hiring department will:
- obtain the consent and disclosure form and the pre-employment inquiry form
from the finalist granting ASU permission to have a background check performed
and the results disclosed to ASU, - provide the finalist with a
- enter a background request via HireRight’s website summary of consumer rights, OR
- fax the required documents mentioned earlier along with the Staffing Background Fax Cover Sheet to HR Recruitment & Selection at 480.993.0006 and have HR enter request.
What is the difference between the standard criminal background check and the fingerprint investigation?
A standard background check goes back seven years into the applicant’s history. The fingerprint investigation only applies to positions designated as “security or safety sensitive.” This investigation reviews an individual’s entire criminal history based on their fingerprints. FBI database maintains a person’s record until the person is 99 years old.
How is the determination made regarding a security-sensitive position?
Security-sensitive positions include:
- University administrators and others with significant financial oversight responsibilities, including, but not limited to, the president, provosts, vice presidents and vice provosts (including Acting and Interim responsibility)
- Positions that have unsupervised contact with minors who are not enrolled as university students
- Positions that have direct access to Select Agents, as defined by the USA Patriot Act of 2001 and the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness Response Act of 2002 (www.asu.edu/hr/backgroundcheck/SelectAgentList.pdf), except where excluded by law because the Principle Investigator does not, at any time, exceed the Select Agent regulatory thresholds quantities specified under the applicable regulations
- Positions with unrestricted access to residence hall rooms
- Information Technology positions due to their responsibility for oversight and management of the institution’s computer systems and accessibility to data
- ASU Police Department employees. Pre-employment screening for these individuals shall be conducted in accordance with the ASU Police Department hiring protocols.
- Other positions designated by a dean or vice president as security or safety-sensitive. A dean or vice president may designate a position as security or safety-sensitive by notifying and justifying to the associate vice president of Human Resources that the position’s responsibilities may expose the university to significant liability. The associate vice president may consult with knowledgeable subject experts as appropriate to the circumstances of the position’s duties for which the designation is proposed.
- Positions that handle financial transactions as a job responsibility. These responsibilities include but are not limited to: approval authority within the accounting system, collection or handling cash or checks, writing or approving checks, having access to a direct money stream, being an authorized ASU Purchasing Cardholder/Manager, or being a fiduciary to ASU.
NOTE: Persons who have only accounting system data entry and/or scanning authority do not need the fingerprint check or staff hired for only a specific event held only once or twice a year and not for cash and check handling on a continuing basis. Faculty or staff who are principle investigators on sponsored projects are normally the org manager on the sponsored project account and may be set up with either scanning authority only or full approval authority. If scanning authority only is selected, a fingerprint check is not required.
Do international applicants require a background check?
International applicants who have been in the United States one year or more are required to undergo a background check.
If someone has a fingerprint clearance card, do they require fingerprinting?
Fingerprint Clearance Cards cannot be accepted in lieu of fingerprinting.
Per ARS 15-1649 (Fingerprinting academic and nonacademic personnel; civil immunity; definitions) the finalist for a security or safety-sensitive position at a university that is under the jurisdiction of the Arizona board of regents shall be fingerprinted as a condition of employment. The finalist shall submit a full set of fingerprints to the university for the purpose of obtaining a state and federal criminal records check pursuant to section 41-1750 and Public Law 92-544. The department of public safety may exchange this fingerprint data with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
If fingerprints are required for a position, does a separate criminal background check need to take place?
Where a position is determined to require a fingerprint check as a condition of employment, the department does NOT also have to do a criminal conviction check through HireRight Inc. The hiring department should check the applicant’s employment history and references.
If the applicant has previously been employed at ASU, the hiring department should check with HR to review the individual's personnel file. If the position includes duties, such as driving, then the hiring department should verify that the applicant has a valid driver's license (they can do this through HireRight Inc. for a fee). If the position requires that the applicant have a certification (e.g., a teaching certificate from the state Department of Education), the hiring department can contact state Department of Education.
What type of background check is required for departments handling cash?
As required by university policy (ACD 126), a background investigation (criminal check) is performed for all non-student hires.
- For all non-student staff hires who handle cash and checks on an ongoing basis, the position is designed as a “security or safety-sensitive” position where a fingerprint check also is required. Exempted from this fingerprinting requirement is staff hired for only a specific event held only once or twice a year and not for cash and check handling on a continuing basis.
- For all student staff hires who handle cash and checks on an ongoing basis, a background investigation (criminal check) is required. Exempted from the background investigation (criminal check) is student staff hired for only a specific event held only once or twice a year and not for cash and check handling on a continuing basis. The hiring department may also designate the student position as a “security or safety-sensitive” position where a fingerprint check also is required.
Access and Privacy
Who will have access to the criminal background check results?
The Office of Human Resources will maintain the results of criminal background checks. If there are no criminal convictions, Human Resources will notify the department to complete the hire.
If there are criminal convictions, the hiring manger will receive an email advising them to contact their appropriate HR Partner/Liaison or The Office of the Provost to discuss the case and appropriate action to be taken. Departments must submit original documents to Human Resources.
How will the University protect an individual’s right to privacy?
ASU conducts criminal background checks under the supervision of The Office of Human Resources. HR Staffing will serve as the Office of Record for all criminal background check results and will maintain confidentiality.
Departments will not receive any details of a criminal background check; only a notification of whether the background check has revealed any criminal convictions. ASU policy and state and federal laws recognize a subject’s right to privacy and prohibit campus employees and others from seeking out, using or disclosing personal information, except within the scope of their assigned duties.
How long will background verification reports remain on file?
The Office of Human Resources will manage and retain all background verification reports. Information collected on qualified candidates hired by the University will be stored separately from the official employee files. Background investigation information collected on non-hired candidates will be filed and maintained in Human Resources, and then destroyed after three years.
Funding, Costs & Financial Liability
What are the costs for criminal background checks, who determines the rates
and who pays for them?
Departments are required to submit background requests using their agency organization number. You can view the current rates for criminal background checks online: www.asu.edu/hr/backgroundcheck/hirerightpricing.pdf.
HR Staffing will be responsible for charging the appropriate department for all background investigations.
What are the costs associated with fingerprinting?
The total cost to process a fingerprint card is $36. All departments will be billed according to the agency org submitted.
Time Issues
How long does a criminal background check take?
HireRight’s average turnaround time for a background check is about 24 hours. The average time for fingerprint results obtained from the FBI database is 14 days.
Hiring Issues
Can employees be hired before the criminal background check has cleared?
Offers can be extended prior to completion of the background check. However, the offer must be contingent based on the final outcome of the applicant’s background check. Work with your HR Partner/Liaison or Provost office for offer letter templates.
Are part-time or temporary positions covered by this policy?
This policy is not based on percentage of FTE. Please refer to ACD 126 policy for more information.
A reference check and background investigation will be conducted on the final applicant for all Classified, Service Professional, Administrative, Faculty and Academic Professional positions. The advertisement for each position must state that such verification is required.
Are criminal background checks required for employees on semester leaves?
No.
Are criminal background checks required for rehired employees?
If an employee is rehired into a:
-
non-security or safety-sensitive position within 60 days of their last day of employment, a new background will not be required,
- security or safety-sensitive position, per ARS 15-1649, as a finalist,
they shall submit a full set of fingerprints to the university for the purpose of obtaining a state and federal criminal records check pursuant to section
41-1750 and Public Law 92-544.
Student Employment Issues
Can departments request a criminal background check on student employees?
It is at the discretion of the department, depending on the nature of the position, to complete a criminal background check on student workers (GAs, TAs and RAs). Typically, they are not included unless they are working with minors or if they are handling chemical agents. It depends upon the kinds of sensitive duties the employee would perform and the potential consequences of criminal behavior.
For all student staff hires who handle cash and checks on an ongoing basis, a background investigation (criminal check) is required. Exempted from the background investigation (criminal check) is student staff hired for only a specific event held only once or twice a year and not for cash and check handling on a continuing basis. The hiring department may also designate the student position as a “security or safety-sensitive” position where a fingerprint check also is required.
When are student volunteers required to have criminal background checks?
It depends on the situation:
- If students will be donating time and effort to the campus by volunteering in the community in a manner that benefits the university and the responsibilities are of a sensitive nature, a criminal background check is required.
- If a student volunteers to work for a campus-sponsored event or program that involves minors (individuals under 18 years of age), a criminal background check is required, unless the students’ interaction with these minors is supervised at all times.
If you have questions about whether you need a criminal background check for student workers or student volunteers, please contact:
Socorro Meek | 480.965.4115 | socorro.meek@asu.edu
Process & Forms
What forms and documents do I need—and where can I get them?
Review and obtain all background or fingerprint verification forms online:
www.asu.edu/hr/forms
Where do I send the forms?
The hiring department will fax forms to HR Recruitment & Selection at 480.993.0006.
If the department submitted the background request via HireRight’s site, fax the following:
- Order details page received, once request has been submitted,
- Consent and disclosure form,
- Pre-employment inquiry form and copy of applicant resume,
onlyif you have requested additional services.
If the department will have HR submit the background request, fax the following:
- HR Staffing Background Fax Cover Sheet
- Consent and Disclosure Form
- Pre-employment inquiry form and copy of applicant resume,
only if you have requested additional services.
Important Note: The hiring department must send ORIGINAL documents to HR Staffing.