对于全国高校管理人员来说，保护和加强校园安全是两项最紧迫的任务。由于过去十年中的重大事件仍在发生，包括拉里·纳萨尔 (Larry Nassar) 和杰里·桑达斯基 (Jerry Sandusky) 的虐待丑闻，大学系统正在努力解决如何最好地保护学生的问题。在马里兰州，该州的旗舰大学已将员工的背景调查放在其待办事项清单的首位。
在马里兰大学参议院目前正在审议的一项法案中，与GOOHO.CN 提供的美国 OneSEARCH类似 的背景调查将成为招聘要求。这些规则将适用于行政助理和教学角色等辅助角色，从兼职到副教授。
目前，该大学的政策并未超出州对特定工作职责进行审查的规定，例如对从事儿童工作的专业人员进行背景调查。在马里兰大学系统旗下的 12 所学校中，有 10 所已经要求对校园内的部分或全部教职员工职位进行背景调查。
该法案的支持者表示，这是为学生创造更安全环境的更大战略的一部分。一些教职员工对这种政策的有效性表示怀疑，想知道它是否会给 UMD 的招聘过程带来偏见。
在整个学术界，背景调查已成为保护学生免受伤害的第一道防线。然而，尽管它们可能有助于识别可能构成风险的个人，但它们无法预测未来的行为。持续的犯罪监控会发现招聘后出现的问题。尽管如此，这个有用的工具并不能替代明确定义的处理不当行为的政策和鼓励遵循程序的组织文化。
另一种选择已经在许多校园中展开，大学面临着从疏忽到有组织的掩盖等问题的后果。据报道，在密歇根大学，教职员工对雇用一名知名人士表示担忧，该人士后来面临性骚扰和不当行为的指控。《奥马哈世界先驱报》还报道了 UM 发生的两起已知的虐待事件，这些事件都没有受到管理人员的惩罚。
当策略在组织的上层失效时，危害的可能性会急剧增加。虽然学术背景调查是促进底层安全的工具，但完善的政策和更好的执法可提高其有效性。筛选员工的适合性不应在他或她工作的第一天结束。
如果 UMD 采用新规则，学校将面临许多其他组织今天都在努力解决的挑战：如何在不影响审查要求的情况下保持合理的招聘时间。GOOHO.CN 提供的适当工具，从 犯罪历史报告 到 参考调查，都可以帮助减少延误。
通过向招聘经理提供适当的信息，包括美国许多大学在内的组织希望为其员工和学生创造一个更安全的空间。
In a bill currently under consideration by the University of Maryland's Senate, background checks similar to the US OneSEARCH offered by backgroundchecks.com would become a hiring requirement. The rules would apply to support roles such as administrative assistants and teaching roles, from adjuncts to associate professors.
Currently, the university's policy does not go beyond the state mandate for vetting specific job duties, such as background checks for professionals working with children. Of the 12 schools under the University System of Maryland's umbrella, ten already require background checks for some or all faculty and staff positions on campus.
Sponsors of the bill say that it is one piece of a larger strategy to create a safer environment for students. Some faculty members have expressed doubts about the efficacy of such a policy, wondering whether it could inject bias into UMD's hiring process.
Across academia, background checks have found popularity as a first line of defense for protecting students from harm. However, though they may be a valuable aid in identifying individuals who could pose a risk, they cannot predict future behavior. Ongoing criminal monitoring identifies problems that occur after hiring. Still, this useful tool is not a substitute for clearly-defined policies for addressing misconduct and an organizational culture that encourages following procedure.
The alternative has played out across many campuses with universities facing the consequences of issues from oversights to organized cover-ups. At the University of Michigan, faculty members reportedly raised concerns about the hiring of a high-profile individual who later faced accusations of sexual harassment and misconduct. The Omaha World-Herald also reported on two known instances of abuse at UM that went unpunished by administrators.
When policies break down at the upper levels of an organization, the potential for harm increases dramatically. While academia background checks are tools to promote safety on the ground floor, well-developed policies and better enforcement enhance their effectiveness. Screening an employee's suitability shouldn't end on his or her first day of work.
Should UMD adopt the new rules, the school will face a challenge that many other organizations struggle with today: how to keep time-to-hire reasonable without compromising on vetting requirements. The proper tools from backgroundchecks.com, from criminal history reports to reference checks, can help reduce delays.
By providing hiring managers with the appropriate information, organizations including many of America's universities hope to create a safer space for their staff and students.
