The UA human resources department and the Staff Advisory Council are discussing the implementation of background checks for prospective UA employees. Because the plan is in the early discussion stage and there is no actual policy in the works, many details need to be hammered out, and human resources is looking to do so with a university-wide dialogue.

The UA should be careful about implementing new background-check policies, as they could constitute an invasion of employee privacy.

A certain level of background checks is already a part of the hiring process, such as contacting former employers and asking about criminal records. Currently, the closest the UA comes to background checks is asking prospective "classified employees" to indicate whether they have had any felony convictions and to confirm that all information provided is accurate. The applicant has the opportunity to refute damaging information. If a background-check policy is implemented, this balancing mechanism should be worked into it.

Apparently, this idea is not in response to any particular incident, though human resources has acknowledged concern over an incident last semester in which a UA employee was charged with misuse of university funds. But it is in response to inquiries from various UA departments about implementing background checks.