These days, it seems almost anyone can get a job at the University of Wisconsin.

The Madison community was shocked to discover, in the wake of the Paul Barrows scandal, that the state's premier university continued to employ three professors after they had been convicted of felonies. As the scandal unfolded, it was learned that administrators are entitled to back-up jobs, a man can make nearly $200,000 a year to take a seven-month vacation and even a child enticement conviction cannot keep a felon out of Van Hise Hall.

There are countless problems with a system that requires months of investigation to decide whether a child molester should teach physiology during his eight-year prison sentence, but perhaps the most serious flaw in the university's employment process involves the lack of administrative oversight when it comes to criminal activity.

Troubling as it may be that even serious criminal acts do not warrant swift termination, it is equally disturbing that the university does not conduct background checks during the faculty hiring process or actively monitor criminal proceedings involving existing faculty until informed by an outside complainant.

When a professor signs on as UW faculty, no one checks out their criminal history before handing them a job with security that rivals a seat on the Supreme Court. These educators are placed in classrooms with daily contact and influence over thousands of students, and apparently no one on Bascom Hill thinks it wise to take a quick look at their rap sheet.

In an age when court records are easily accessed electronically, a few keystrokes can reveal an entire criminal history. Thirty seconds could ensure the university does not hire someone with a questionable background.

While background checks would not prevent the university from hiring an individual who turns to criminal activity after joining the faculty, they will give Bascom a better idea of who it is hiring before it is too late. When it is as hard as the university has indicated to remove someone from the faculty, we urge the administration to take appropriate measures to discern a candidate's character.

Additionally, we urge Bascom to routinely monitor the public record so that the university is aware of potential concerns as they arise. If it takes months of investigation to remove a professor from the payroll, the university must be aware of serious infractions so the investigation can begin at an appropriate time.

The Badger Herald has learned Professor Lewis Keith Cohen was accused of a number of alarming actions prior to his 2000 promotion to head of the comparative literature department. Had the university been aware of the criminal charges filed against Mr. Cohen, it may have decided against this promotion.

An overwhelming number of businesses, including most public school systems, require background checks as part of the hiring and promotion process. We believe professors charged with educating the students at a top-tier university should be subject to the same scrutiny as a night manager at Wendy's.