MSU has had a background check policy in place since before the shootings, said Jim Cotter, MSU director of admissions.

Joe Finley, senior vice president for corporate development at Certified Background, said a background check is generally defined as asking about an applicant’s prior criminal record.

He said many schools, including MSU, ask all incoming applicants about their prior criminal history.

But a number of schools that don’t ask all applicants are beginning to check those students applying to live on campus.

“If someone is living on campus, (the schools) just want to cover all their bases,” Finley said.

“It’s one piece of an entire program that schools are looking to implement.”

Although MSU was not one of the schools Certified Background surveyed, the university does use the company’s services in several departments that require background checks, including the nursing department.

MSU’s application asks prospective students if they’ve ever been convicted of a criminal offense. If the applicant has had a conviction, the admissions department conducts a secondary review.

Applicants with severe offenses or who appear potentially dangerous can be reviewed further by a committee headed by the associate provost.

“The majority of cases that we see tend to be issues that do not pose a threat to the university community,” Cotter said.

“Since we began asking that question five or six years ago, the bulk of the responses do not reach the committee review process.”

Jake Hohl, a preveterinary medicine freshman who lives in Emmons Hall, said background checks make him feel comfortable but could cross some boundaries.

“In a way you can see it as a good idea, but it also kind of goes as an invasion of privacy,” Hohl said. “There’s probably always ways to prevent (emergencies), but you’ll more and more be dealing with privacy issues.”

Although MSU is confident in its current background check protocol, Vennie Gore, vice president of Housing & Food Services, said the university is constantly re-evaluating its safety measures.

“Our student security is very important to us,” Gore said. “Every year we go through the ongoing process, making sure that we’re doing the right things.”