While 92% of employers conduct a criminal background check of potential employees, only 5% of colleges and universities perform these same background checks on prospective students. A startling fact when you consider the increase in violent criminal offenses taking place on college campuses each year. Even though two-thirds of colleges and universities ask about misdemeanor and felony convictions on their application, the majority do not validate the applicants’ responses. Therefore, a convicted felon may apply for college admission, not disclose the fact that he/she has a criminal history, and still be accepted into the university because the admission process does not conduct a criminal background check.
Take for example the University of Virginia (U of V) student George Huguely who was a seemingly model student and lacrosse athlete but brutally murdered his girlfriend Yeardley Love, a fellow student at U of V in 2009. Campus authorities were shocked to learn that Huguely had a violent past, which he never disclosed to the university. Although U of V had a policy in place that all students inform them of criminal history, they never conducted formal background checks on potential students. If U of V would have investigated Huguely’s criminal past, they would have discovered he had prior arrests, including assaulting a female police officer and his own father. In addition, Huguely had prior charges of driving under the influence and a history of reckless driving, all of which would have been easily verified through a criminal background check.
Also in April 2007, Seung-Hui Cho shot and killed 32 people at Virginia Tech before turning the gun on himself. Previously, Cho was accused of stalking two female students; he was also diagnosed as mentally ill and ordered to seek treatment, although he never followed through with it. If Virginia Tech had screened Cho before admitting him into the college, they would have found that he had severe mental problems since he was three years old, which became progressively worse through middle school and high school.
Many colleges and universities now conduct background screenings on students entering healthcare professions, but fail to require it on all other students. Is safety more important for students in the healthcare field? If university officials recognize the importance of student background checks in one area of study, why do they not conduct screenings on all students? Is there another problem student who could be prevented from causing harm to others by knowing about his/her history?
Currently some colleges and universities regularly check students’ backgrounds, while others rely on students to be up front and honest on their application. However, students who are truthful and do disclose that they have a criminal history are most likely not going to be repeat offenders. Students who are not candid about their past are the ones that parents, fellow students, and university officials should worry about. This is why background screening is so important. Should criminals be admitted to college on the honor system? Should people trust criminals to tell them that they are criminals? The answer is obviously no. Colleges and universities must implement student background checks into the admissions process in order to promote campus safety and security and mybackgroundcheck.com is just the way!