The group that shuttles students and staff as a safer alternative to walking at night was unable to conduct criminal background checks on its volunteers this year, although it remains unclear what University policy prohibited the organization from doing so.
The Assault Prevention Shuttle received $1,500 in incidental fees this year to screen its members for the first time since the service was formed in October 2003. But APS Education Coordinator Sarah Wells said a contract issued to volunteers at the beginning of the year was invalid until the organization eliminated a section concerning criminal background checks. It is unclear what administrative office enforced the changes.
Wells said volunteers sign a contact at the beginning of the year that defines their duties and verifies they understand the organization’s mission. The contract, which requested contact information to perform a background check, was sent to what Wells said was Risk Management for approval in October.
“That’s kind of where it ended,” she said.
The ASUO Student Senate authorized APS to spend the $1,500 to help fund two programs that Wells said fulfilled the group’s mission.
Business Affairs Risk Manager Sheree Johnson said she was not familiar with the contract and said the General Counsel’s Office might know about policies relating to background checks.
University General Counsel Melinda Grier said she didn’t know what policies would have specifically prevented the screening, but said “there are a lot of concerns about doing background checks.”
She said a “whole variety” can be done, and federal statutes set limitations on checks. Even if checks are performed, they’re not always useful, she said.
Several sources suggested former ASUO
Accounting Coordinator Jennifer Creighton-
Neiwert, who previously worked with many groups, might know why the contract was
rejected. She could not be reached for comment.
EMU Director of Student Activities Gregg Lobisser said the University does background checks in certain circumstances, but checks are not normally conducted when services are delivered for other students unless there are special circumstances.
APS operates vans to provide rides for an average of 70 people per night, according to the group’s Web site. The organization employs eight staff members and 16 dispatchers and uses about 80 volunteers each year, according to the site.
Wells said volunteers undergo a training process. If a volunteer coordinator doesn’t approve of a volunteer during training, they “have an opportunity to ‘suggest a different type of volunteer work’” for that person.
She said APS drivers’ traffic records are checked because they must be certified to drive through the University.
Wells said APS considered background checks as a way to increase safety for riders after Project Saferide and Night Ride merged last year.
She added that APS should be able to check its workers’ backgrounds,
especially because some riders may be survivors of past assaults.
“I feel it’s a pretty valid case,” she said. “It just seems kind of counter-intuitive that we wouldn’t be able to do that.”
Wells said APS members are still interested in conducting the checks but are faced with more pressing issues because the organization lost paid positions during this year’s budget process.
She said if checks are not allowed, the organization will continue to rely on training for volunteer coordinators to “weed out people (APS doesn’t) feel like create a
comfortable environment.”
She added that she didn’t know of any concerns from riders about workers having a history of assault, although some volunteers have been assigned to conduct research or distribute fliers because they didn’t conform with the “structure and feel” of the organization.
APS Co-Director Elisabeth Jackson said many workers are from other states, requiring more money to screen workers and preventing the organization from conducting searches of Oregon criminal records for free.
“I want to emphasize that we’re doing the best that we can to compensate for … the fact that we’re not able to do background checks,” Wells said.
Wells said there is always the possibility that a worker could have a history of assault, although it is “highly improbable.” She said even background checks wouldn’t make the group “certain the problem would be alleviated.”
Jackson agreed.
“We are confident; we’re just trying to make it better,” she said.

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