Return to Previous Page

Human Resources Classified Staff
Policy and Procedures

POLICY

Introduction

In order to create a safe and secure workplace and to ensure that University of Arizona employees are qualified to perform the jobs for which the University hires them, the University will conduct pre-employment screening for all regular employees.

Standard Pre-employment Screening

The hiring authority or a designee shall check references and verify the educational credentials, employment histories and past performance of a finalist before it extends a final offer of employment.

Professional License Checks

When an occupation or position requires an employee to have a professional license or certification in order to perform the job, the hiring authority or a designee will verify such license or certification.

Driving Records

When an occupation or position requires that an employee regularly operates a motor vehicle, the hiring authority or a designee shall work with Human Resources to verify the appropriate license and review the motor vehicle record.

Criminal History and Identity

When a position is designated as "security sensitive," the hiring authority or a designee shall work with Human Resources to obtain information on a finalist's criminal history and verification of that individual's identity. This information shall be obtained for individuals not currently employed by the University of Arizona, as well as those currently employed by the University of Arizona who are seeking "security sensitive" positions. If an individual moves from one "security sensitive" position to another, the hiring authority or a designee shall work with Human Resources to obtain an updated criminal history.

Security Sensitive Position Designation

"Security sensitive" positions shall be designated by the University of Arizona and shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

1. University administrators and others with significant financial oversight responsibilities (president, provost, vice provosts, deans, vice presidents; assistant and associate vice provosts, vice presidents and deans; department heads; department directors; and business managers).
2. Positions that have unsupervised contact with minors who are not enrolled students of the university.
3. 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, except where excluded by law because the Principal Investigator does not, at any time, exceed the Select Agent regulatory thresholds quantities specified under the applicable regulations.
4. Positions with unrestricted access to residence hall rooms.
5. Other positions designated by a dean or vice president as "security sensitive." A dean or vice president may designate a position "security sensitive" by notifying and justifying to the Associate Vice President for 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 proposed hire.
6. Finalists who indicate a prior felony conviction.
7. Employees of the University of Arizona Police Department (UAPD). Pre-employment screening for these individuals shall be conducted in accordance with UAPD hiring protocols.

Additional Requirements

Additional pre-employment screening required by statute, contract or policy is not discretionary and shall be coordinated by Human Resources.

Information Collection

A signed authorization from the applicant or finalist is required before criminal background information or pre-employment identity verification may be requested. This information will be collected in coordination with Human Resources. If a prospective employee refuses to provide such authorization, the individual will be ineligible for consideration for such position.

Information Evaluation

Human Resources shall coordinate all criminal and motor vehicle records screenings, and the reports they produce. Should one of these reports produce information that might prompt an adverse employment action for a current employee, Human Resources will work with the hiring department to evaluate the value of the information against the total past employment record and future employment potential. When considering whether to employ an individual with a criminal history, the hiring authority, in partnership with Human Resources, will assess the relevance of a criminal conviction to job duties, the date of the most recent offense, the nature of the offense, and the accuracy of the information the individual provided on the employment application.

Any material misrepresentation or omission on an application document may be grounds for rejection of the application or termination of any subsequent employment with the University.

Compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act

In some cases, an outside vendor may uncover information that may disqualify an applicant from employment consideration. In such a case, the University will notify the applicant of the information and provide a minimum of five days for the applicant to refute, explain or correct the information.

Record Retention

Human Resources will manage and retain criminal pre-employment screening information. Information collected on successful applicants will be stored separately from the official employee files. Documents related to pre-employment screening information collected by hiring departments will be filed and maintained in the departments and destroyed after three years.

Information Release

Criminal history record information shall be regarded as confidential and only be released consistent with applicable law.