Background Checks

Policy Statement

1. 1. Dartmouth is committed to ensuring that its community is as safe as possible and to taking meaningful action to protect its students and employees, finances, property, and other assets. Accordingly, it is Dartmouth's policy that each of its contractors, vendors, and agents assigns their employees, subcontractors, and/or affiliates to submit to a background check prior to performing services on Dartmouth's campus or on property owned, leased, or controlled by Dartmouth College (collectively, "Dartmouth Property").
   2. Contractor shall ensure that Contractor has had a third-party vendor perform a background-check as described below on each employee, agent, sub-contractor, and/or affiliate who will perform Services or Work at Dartmouth or who will have access to Dartmouth's Confidential Information prior to the start of their respective Services or Work on Dartmouth Property. These checks shall include a both a federal and state criminal background check and a federal and state sex and violent offender registry check, each in the state or county of residence for all jurisdictions where the individual has lived for the past seven (7) years.  The background check will include any criminal convictions or incarceration occurring within the seven (7) years prior to the date of inquiry, except that any period of incarceration will not be included in the calculation of the seven (7) year period.  Background checks will include social security number trace and verification.   
   3. Upon reviewing any results from such background check, or upon learning of any additional information subsequent to the background check, and taking into consideration all relevant factors in accordance with applicable law, Contractor shall make an individualized assessment of any potential risk and shall exclude any dishonest, dangerous, or otherwise unqualified person from performing any Services or Work on Dartmouth Property, or allowing them to have access to Dartmouth's Confidential Information.
   4. The background checks will be available to Dartmouth upon request along with information regarding the analysis that was performed when considering the information included in the background checks. Dartmouth will observe all relevant privacy laws in the handling and review of the background checks and related information. To the extent authorization is required from a person in order to share background checks and related information with Dartmouth, Contractor will be responsible for obtaining such authorization. In discharging its responsibilities under this section, Contractor will comply with and abide by all applicable laws.
   5. Background checks will not be used to discriminate against a person on the basis of race, color, religion/creed, sex/gender, age, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin, genetic information, marital/familial status, disability, military, or veteran status.