Purpose

Rice University is dedicated to creating a safe and secure environment for the campus community in support of its education, research, and service missions. As part of this commitment, all new staff and faculty members must undergo a criminal background check before being hired.

As of late fall 2018, the requirement for criminal background checks, which has been in place for staff for many years, has now been extended to include all new faculty hires. This decision is based on the potential impact on safety and reputation if an incident were to occur that could have been prevented through an initial criminal background check. This policy aligns with many peer institutions, including Princeton, Emory, Duke, and Vanderbilt, as well as almost all public universities, in their efforts to minimize risk and legal liability. For additional details, see Policy 425.

Who needs to undergo background checks?

• New faculty (both tenured, tenure-track and non tenure track)
• Returning faculty who have been separated from Rice for more than 6 months (sabbaticals excluded)
• Adjunct (unpaid) faculty, but only if they will teach courses or advise students

Who initiates the background check?

VPAA initiates background checks for all new faculty. The employment offer letter will include a statement indicating that the offer is contingent on the satisfactory outcome of a criminal background check. The notice should state:

This offer of employment is contingent on the satisfactory outcome of a criminal background screening. Our vendor, HireRight, will contact you directly via email for the additional information needed to conduct this background check. This screening is standard practice at the university for all new faculty and staff hires.

The process is initiated after receipt of the signed offer and typically takes 1-2 days to complete.

What is included in the report?

Our criminal background checks comprehensively evaluate an individual's legal history, including any felony and misdemeanor convictions, arrests where charges were filed (unless dismissed), court records, warrants, sex offenses, and incarceration records. The process involves using the candidate's Social Security Number to trace their previous addresses, which then informs checks in pertinent county and state records as well as the National Sex Offender Registry and HireRight's own criminal database.

Background checks for our faculty and staff are not limited to a specific time frame, ensuring a thorough review of an individual's history. Furthermore, in line with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), candidates have the right to request a copy of their background check report directly from HireRight's website.

How do we ensure the right to privacy and protection against discrimination?

Rice University adheres to state and federal laws that protect a candidate’s privacy rights, preventing employees and others from using or disclosing personal information except within the scope of their assigned duties. Rice also complies with the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The University will not use any information obtained during a criminal background check to discriminate based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or veteran status.

What if adverse information is found in the background check?

Candidates are not automatically disqualified based on adverse information. Each case is evaluated individually, taking into account factors like overall criminal history, type and severity of offenses, time elapsed since the offenses, relevance to the position and university mission, circumstances surrounding the offenses, and subsequent work history and behavior.

Candidates with unsatisfactory results are notified in writing and given an opportunity to respond. The Provost's Office reviews checks for tenured/tenure-track positions, while the VPAA reviews checks for non-tenure-track positions. Final decisions may involve consultation with the relevant Dean and Office of General Counsel.

Candidates may be disqualified based on assessed risk to employees and students, impact on ability to perform job duties, and legal and reputational risk to the university.

Questions? Please contact Adriana Vaughn.