Screening the new staff

The Indiana legislature has enacted a much needed new law requiring IU to complete broader background checks on all new staff and hourly employees beginning July 1. The policy will require verification on educational credentials, prior employment, license credentials, criminal history and sex and violent offenders registry.\nWe see no reason why someone who will be given a key to buildings on campus should not be required to submit to a background check. It would be sound policy to require these checks on employees who will be working close with students.\n One concern may be the cost of the background checks. HireRight, a nation-wide vendor providing background checks, will charge $35.50 for a full check and $20.50 for a limited check. But the cost is essentially overhead liability, anyway, and the money spent to protect the university from lawsuits may pale in comparison to any potential lawsuit for failing to address the concerns.\nObviously these broad background checks will not be able to weed out everyone, and bad apples will pass through a penetrable system. But taking these steps to safeguard our own interests, especially at a state university, is not unwarranted.