BACKGROUND CHECK PROCEDURE

Overview

All Applicants seeking admission to Olympic College housing are required to (1) submit to a
criminal background check conducted by a third party provider selected by Olympic College and
(2) sign a FERPA release authorizing the College to access and review their disciplinary record
at any institution of higher education they have attended. First time international students may
complete an international student visa application instead. International students transferring to
Olympic College from another U.S. based institution will be required to complete a criminal
background check and a student discipline release.

The College reserves the right to deny an application for campus housing based on an applicant’s
criminal record and/or disciplinary record. Such a denial will be based on a determination that
the Applicant poses an unreasonable risk to the health, safety, and/or welfare of the College
community or College housing provider. The College may not automatically or unreasonably
restrict access to campus housing based on an applicant’s criminal history. For purposes of this
policy, “campus housing” includes residence halls, homestay assignments, and any other college
affiliated housing assignments.

To the extent permissible under law, the College will treat all criminal background checks,
disciplinary records, and other documentation gathered through this background check process as
confidential. The College complies with all federal and state laws regarding discrimination and
does not discriminate based upon age, sex, race, marital status, religion, national origin, or other
prohibited classifications.

BACKGROUND CHECK PROCESS

  1. Applicant must submit a completed application for campus housing, a criminal background check request, and a student discipline release to the College with the required non-refundable application fee. The background check will be performed by a provider selected by the College. The cost of the background check is included in the application fee.
  2. If the Applicant is found to have a criminal and/or student discipline history, the College will notify the Applicant and the application will be submitted to a review committee consisting of the Residence Hall Manager and Vice President of Student Services and Achievement. The review committee will use the process described below to determine if placement of the Applicant in campus housing will pose an unreasonable risk to the health, safety, and/or welfare of the College community and/or housing providers.
  3. If the review committee determines the Applicant does not pose an unreasonable risk to the College community and/or housing providers, the Applicant will be notified by the Office of Residence Life that they are cleared to proceed with campus housing placement. If the review committee determines the Applicant poses an unreasonable risk to the College community and/or housing providers, the committee may request to meet individually with the Applicant to discuss the offense(s) and/or misconduct in more detail, or may deny the application outright. Any Applicant whose application is denied will receive a formal written notice.
  4. Documentation regarding Applicant’s criminal or student disciplinary background will be electronically archived with the Office of Residence Life.
  5. If an Applicant fails to fully comply with the College’s application requirements, background check requirements, and/or requests for additional information or documentation, the Applicant’s housing application will be denied.

REVIEW COMMITTEE PROCESS

The review committee will consider the results of the criminal background check, the
Applicant’s disciplinary record, and any other information shared by the Applicant to determine
whether the Applicant is eligible for campus housing. Factors that will be considered when
determining eligibility include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • The date of the offense(s) and or misconduct and the amount of time that has elapsed since the Applicant committed the offense(s) and/or misconduct;
  • The nature, severity, and intentionality of the offense(s) and/or misconduct(including the statutory elements of the offense(s)) with respect to the risk of placing the Applicant in campus housing, including whether the applicant was convicted of a "serious violent offense" or a "sex offense" as those terms are defined in RCW 9.94A.030;
  • The number of offenses and/or incidents of misconduct the Applicant has been involved in and whether there is a pattern of offenses and/or misconduct;
  • Any additional relevant facts (such as whether the underlying offense(s) and/or misconduct arose from a housing situation or involved a college or university);
  • The Applicant’s account of the facts of the details and circumstances of the offense(s) and/or misconduct;
  • The Applicant’s age at the time of the offense(s) and/or misconduct;
  • Evidence that that Applicant has made good faith efforts to reform such as the successful completion of criminal rehabilitation programs, education or training;
  • The Applicant’s probation or parole history and status; and
  • Any substantiation of the Applicant’s current character from reference letters or other sources.

RECONSIDERATION PROCESS

Within 10 business days of the date of the review committee’s email notification of
ineligibility for living in campus housing, the affected Applicant may request reconsideration of
the review committee’s decision if new information is available which was not available during
the initial review of the applicant’s housing application.

To request reconsideration, the Applicant must submit a written letter to the review committee,
setting forth the newly available information for consideration and a request to be reconsidered
for living in campus housing. The Applicant may also request an in-person meeting with the
review committee in order to discuss the reconsideration in more detail.

The review committee will issue a written decision on reconsideration within 10 business
days after the Applicant submits their request for reconsideration or, if an in-person meeting is
requested, within 10 business days from the date of the in-person meeting. The
reconsideration decision is final.