Until recently, most colleges and universities limited background checks to full-time faculty or senior administrators. But that’s changing—and fast.
With rising expectations from parents, increasing liability concerns, and a more mobile workforce, institutions are expanding their background screening protocols to include adjuncts, volunteers, student employees, and even short-term contractors.
It’s not just a policy shift. It’s a cultural one.
The Problem with Partial Vetting
Limiting screenings to a small subset of employees creates uneven standards—and potential blind spots. Here’s why that’s a problem:
- Adjunct instructors often teach the majority of classes but are screened less thoroughly than tenured faculty.
- Volunteers and student workers interact closely with vulnerable populations (like minors, first-year students, or students with disabilities).
- Campus contractors often have physical access to facilities without ever going through the institution’s onboarding checks.
Without consistent vetting, even well-intentioned hiring can introduce risk.
The Drivers Behind the Change
Institutions are expanding screening requirements in response to real-world pressures:
- Increased liability: Legal and insurance teams are demanding better risk mitigation.
- Public scrutiny: Communities now expect transparency and accountability.
- Student safety demands: Parents and students want assurance that everyone on campus is vetted, not just professors.
- Title IX and Clery Act obligations: Regulations around campus safety and misconduct reporting now implicate a wider net of staff and affiliates.
This expansion isn’t about bureaucracy. It’s about responsibility.
Who Gets Screened in 2025 (and Why) Modern universities are now screening:
- Adjunct professors: Often hired on short notice, they now receive the same level of screening as full-time staff.
- Volunteers: From orientation leaders to event helpers, anyone with direct student contact is being vetted.
- Student employees: Especially those in sensitive roles (e.g., tutoring minors, housing assistants, or peer mentors).
- Contractors and vendors: Facilities workers, IT support, and security staff often move across multiple buildings and departments.
The new standard is simple: If they’re part of your campus ecosystem, they’re part of your screening process.
A Smarter, More Consistent Approach
For many institutions, expanding background checks across roles has exposed inefficiencies in their current systems especially when each department runs their own process. To address this, schools are adopting:
✓ Centralized digital platforms for all background checks
✓ FERPA-compliant storage and record access
✓ Pre-configured screening packages by role type
✓ Real-time alerts for flagged reports or expiring credentials
✓ Candidate-friendly workflows that balance safety with speed
This shift toward unified, scalable screening is redefining what “campus safety” really means.
Final Thought
When it comes to campus safety, consistency matters more than titles. Whether someone is teaching one class or managing a dorm, their access to students—and their impact on your institution—demands the same level of scrutiny.
The smartest institutions are adapting. They’re screening everyone, not because they have to, but because they know safety is everyone’s responsibility.
