Preparing For Your Placement
Engagement Preparation Days
Each semester, the Swearer Center hosts Engagement Preparation Days (EPD) for Swearer-affiliated students* engaging with partner organizations that require a background check and other clearance processes (e.g., working with minors). EPD has concluded for the fall semester. Spring '25 dates will be announced soon.
*Swearer-affiliated students include those in Swearer Fellowships, Off-Campus Federal Work Study, Brown Tutoring Corps, BrownEngage Internship Opportunities, CBLR Courses with Community Partners, Engaged Course Mini-Grant recipients and ESC Practicum.
Important Considerations
- Clearance forms and background checks must be renewed every 12 months.
- Due to state law, the Swearer Center or Attorney General's Office will not be able to process a RI State Bureau of Criminal Identification (BCI) background check on your behalf until you turn 18 years of age. Therefore, students will not be able to engage until they turn 18. Please contact your supervisor for specific policies regarding volunteers under the age of 18 before you begin your engagement.
Swearer Center’s Commitment to Non-Discrimination
The Swearer Center acknowledges that discrimination based on criminal records perpetuates the marginalization of formerly incarcerated people and that the impacts of this discrimination fall most heavily on communities of color. In response to this sort of discrimination, measures such as “Ban the Box” have been passed (in Rhode Island enacted in 2014). While we must comply with state law, we are committed to giving full consideration to each volunteer whether or not any arrests are listed on their BCI. We recognize that BCIs construct a notion of safety that relies on the labeling of people according to their interactions with law enforcement officials and the criminal justice system. This results in an incomplete and often distorted picture of a person.
- We will not consider “hits” on a BCI unless the nature of the offense relates directly to the type of work required in the volunteer position.
- We will provide any student whose BCI comes back with a “hit” with a copy of their BCI so that they can identify any inaccuracies and provide context to the listed “hits.”
- Staff of the Swearer Center will review these with students on a case-by-case basis to ensure that students who want to be involved with Swearer can do so.
- We will ensure that a limited number of Swearer staff will read the BCI so that this information will remain as private and confidential as possible.
- We will only require BCIs when explicitly required by law, or by the partner organization.
- We will reevaluate these policies at the beginning of each semester, and will communicate policy changes to the Swearer Center Student Advisory Committee before finalizing them.