<p>My daughter received an email that she needs a background check for AA.</p>
<p>In your acceptance letter you were notified that you need to complete a background check; your names have been submitted to the background check company, and you should receive an email containing a link to complete your background check. They cost around $14 for in-state students, and the price varies for students from other states.</p>
<p>Has anyone received the email containing the link for the background check?</p>
<p>In the course descriptions on My Bama it says you need a background check for OA as well, but we haven’t received anything about it. I wasn’t surprised that they wanted a background check for AA, since the AA participants will be volunteering in a local school and spending time with the students there, but I wasn’t sure why it was needed for OA. I’m sure there’s some reason, but I can’t think of what it might be.</p>
<p>My son also received the AA email but no additional emails from the company that will do the background check or the acceptance letter mentioned in the email . The original email requested to submit the information by May 4th, I am thinking to contact someone on Monday, since May 4th is just around the corner…</p>
<p>My S got his email this afternoon. Our state (IL) is not listed as a choice the drop down box for the state report so we can’t complete it until we receive an email response from UA.</p>
<p>The same thing happened to us! We are from IL and when D tried to complete the app, it wouldnt let her because they forgot to put IL in the drop down menu(how this occurs I have no idea). D called UA who told her to call company because students had been calling saying they forgot their state too. The company said to pick ALABAMA if your state is missing. It appears they forgot a few states besides IL. D did this and was able to complete the application.</p>
<p>We’re from IL, too. S just picked AL as the state (since he couldn’t pick IL), and submitted it. THEN, he asks me why IL was not on the list (and some other states as well aren’t on there)?! So, I sent email asking UA this question…of course, it is already submitted, so might be waste of $14. Like Class, we will update you when we get an answer.
Is it just me, or does this AA process seem a bit disjointed? I mean, they offer this every year, so you would think they would have a pretty familiar routine, know what questions will pop up from students/parents ahead of time, time after time after time…UA could have put better instructions in their emails about AA, and an FAQ section on their website fully explaining the procedure and what to expect.</p>
<p>S did not have to do a background check for AA last year so maybe it’s a new policy?
As someone in communications, I know it is not always easy to anticipate questions that come up and every program is run by a different group.</p>
<p>I know that the background checks are becoming a more common requirement. D had to have one when she started volunteering with READ Alabama because they’re in schools. It may be a requirement driven by the schools that they’re volunteering in.</p>
<p>Our local school district started requiring that parent volunteers go through a background check. It’s a three tiered process depending on what you plan on doing at the school. I had to be fingerprinted and provide my SS# etc. so they could check my criminal record, even though I’d been an active volunteer for the previous 8 years. Thankfully nothing came up ;)</p>
<p>My son also received the email from Davis Jackson on April 23 stating that he would be receiving an email from the background check company and to please turn in the application by May 4. Like all of you, he still had not received it by Monday so he sent Davis an email. Davis replied that the background check company was still processing the UA order and everybody should get an email from the company in the next few days.</p>
<p>Ohio also isn’t listed. Would someone please post here when they get a response. I don’t want to put Alabama and have the background check fail.</p>
<p>I don’t think people should choose states other than than their own unless instructed to do so… If there is a contact person, then ask them what you should do if your state isn’t listed. </p>
<p>Yes, it does seem that the background check is new. Probably was recommended by a Risk Management team. My kids did that summer honors program where you tutor high school kids who will be taking AP classes, and they didn’t need background checks then…but probably would not.</p>
<p>I received an email back from UA and it said to call. I called and was told to choose unavailable- or whatever it was called under the last state and before all the countries.
It worked that time.</p>
<p>Ok, here’s the scoop.<br>
I got an email back from UA rep, Heather Christensen; it reads: "For some reason, ESS (the background check company) didnt list all the states when they set up the system. Youll need to call ESSs toll free customer service number (866.859.0143), and theyll be able to help you. Just explain that you already selected Alabama, but need to add Illinois and it isnt listed in the drop down menu. "
I just called the 866 # and spoke w/ Mary Beth. She thought that there should be a COUNTY menu for those states that are not listed, and is not sure why that was not there. She’s looking into this…and is working w/ Heather to rectify, if necessary. She did add, for some states (I don’t know which ones), that there are no state reports available, so that is why some states will not be options.
I can no longer go in and look at what was ordered by my son (or re-order a new report), so please rely on other posts to fill in the holes about whether future people are able to select their state and/or county.
Mary Beth was very helpful (as ALL people in the South are!) - she said no worries on these - just call if you have problems.</p>
<p>I remember reading about a background check being required in past years, but think that UA handled them internally. Normally with volunteering or working, the cost of a background check is paid by the organization. As students are being charged a fee to participate, this is a slightly different situation.</p>
<p>As for certain states not being listed, it could be a matter of the company not being able to look up records in certain states and having to have another company perform the background check.</p>
<p>Well that was clear as mud. Thanks for the number, aeromom! I called the nice lady you spoke to and she added the COUNTY in which we live. But when I asked her why we were not able to choose a county from the pulldown, she just said it wouldn’t be in an obvious place, or easy to do ourselves.
BTW, it costs an extra $12 for the county info. So the total was $26 including the county.</p>
<p>Interesting - I called to out county (IL) but wasn’t told anything about any extra fee. I also think I got a different person other than the very nice Mary Beth. At first she would not speak to me at all regarding this, stating she would only speak to my S, but relented when I told her S is still a minor.</p>