Since the Sept. 11 attacks, the United States has increased security measures when allowing people into the country. Ohio State, however, does not require background checks in most departments before hiring international faculty or staff.
“We have way too many employees to give background checks to all,” said Shannon Wingard, spokeswoman for OSU.
Former University Police Chief Ron Michalec said his department required all of its prospective employees to undergo background checks before being hired. Student Affairs and Physical Facilities require new employees to be checked as well. It is up to each department, however, to decide whether professors require background checks.
Phyllis Newman, chief financial officer for the College of Arts and Sciences, said the university depends on the federal government to do its job.
Kelly Shannon, spokeswoman for the U.S. State Department, said before someone is admitted into the United States, he or she must go through an extensive process.
“Professors who want to come into the United States to work must first have a job secured and then we start the process of a background check,” Shannon said.
A name check is done which searches for convictions in every country in which the person has lived or visited. The information is processed by the State Department and given to the embassy, which issues a visa. From there, it is customs’ decision to allow the person into the country, Shannon said.
The system operates on an individual basis. If a person was convicted of a crime five years ago and has had a clear record since, depending on the crime, the person can be issued a visa into the U.S. job field, Shannon said.
Mark Ballard, Immigration Enforcement Officer for Homeland Security, said whether or not a person is completely checked depends on how much information the person volunteered to the State Department.
“If a person does not state he was in a country, the State Department will not look to that country for a criminal record,” he said.
George Houston, special agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigations, said background checks for public universities can be expensive.
“The FBI has legal attaches in countries around the world to do our background checks,”Houston said. “OSU would have to hire a private investigator to do one, and he would have to get the records from different countries.
“Legally, the FBI cannot do background checks for OSU,” he said.
Judy Vertikoff, director of resource management for OSU’s Physical Facilities, said the department requires all employees to go through background checks and has done so for the past five or six years.
“We feel we have some obligation to hire people who don’t pose a threat to students or faculty,” she said.
Vertikoff said the checks are part of the department’s operating budget. Close to $10,000 is set aside for background checks. This amount changes depending on the number of people hired in a given year.
“We feel the money is well spent if it keeps people safe,” she said. “It could end up costing us more in penalties if we hire the wrong person.”
Ed Schlechty, administrative associate for the Department of Mathematics, said that time and effort are the reasons his department does not conduct background checks.
“If we got a tip about someone, we would investigate it,” Schlechty said. “The department can’t afford to investigate everyone it hires.”
“If there are strong concerns about a potential employee, we probably wouldn’t hire them,” Newman said. “We just don’t go hiring strangers from overseas. If they were involved in a crime, it would probably be known.”
She said the College of Arts and Sciences requires proof of accomplishments. An individual’s academic history is extensively researched, but criminal history is left unknown unless a tip is received.
“Convictions are in the records, not arrests,” Ballard said. “Someone can be arrested and have the charges dropped, and employers in the U.S. may never know.”
