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Summer Students

Processing Summer Students

1. Summer Student Policy 2008*
   

   Background: New government-wide personnel security regulations, part of Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD)-12, have placed additional requirements on the security procedures that NIH must follow before issuing NIH ID badges to personnel. ID badges must be issued before an individual is allowed access to NIH facilities and IT systems. This policy addresses the security guidelines for processing NIH Summer Students.
   Policy: This policy applies to NIH Summer Students for calendar year 2008:

   • Summer Students working in unrestricted areas with non-sensitive information will undergo a name check against the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) operated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in order to receive an NIH ID card. The NCIC is a computerized index of criminal information (i.e., criminal record history, active warrants, etc.). This name check will be conducted by the NIH Police (Building 31, Room B3B17). The results of this check are generally received the same day. Once the results of the name check have been successfully adjudicated by the Division of Personnel Security and Access Control (DPSAC), an NIH ID badge will be issued to the Summer Student. The badge will be valid for the duration of the summer appointment, but will expire no later than September 30, 2008.
   • Summer Students working in restricted areas or with sensitive information must undergo a fingerprint check and background investigation with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) in order to receive an NIH ID badge. Fingerprint check results are generally received within 3-5 business days. Upon successful adjudication of the fingerprint check by DPSAC, an NIH ID badge will be issued to the Summer Student. The badge will be valid for the duration of the summer appointment, but will expire no later than September 30, 2008. These students must also complete all of the forms required to undergo a background investigation with OPM. These students should be closely supervised and physically monitored when performing high-risk work or in high-risk areas until the full investigation is completed.

   Summer students will be processed with a full OPM background investigation if they:

   • Work in labs with Select Agents, or in high-risk facility areas
   • Work in labs adjacent to Authorized Select Agent Users
   • Work with proprietary data with limited direct monitoring
   • Conduct IT work with data systems in a way that would allow them to compromise the integrity of the system
   • Have unmonitored access to IT data systems containing Privacy Act data, or to financial systems when the ability to obligate/disburse funds is not subject to higher level approval
   • Other circumstances as determined by the Institute or Center (IC)

   Any issues identified through the NCIC name check or OPM fingerprint check that might impact the suitability of the Summer Student to do the proposed work at NIH will be adjudicated by the Personnel Security Office in DPSAC and the respective IC prior to issuance of an NIH ID badge.
   *This policy applies to calendar year 2008. Final policy for the processing of Summer Students for calendar year 2009 and beyond will be disseminated by the NIH HSPD-12 Program Office and DPSAC as part of its formal procedures for the implementation of HSPD-12 requirements.

   
   
2. Processing Summer Students
   
   

   In accordance with the 2008 Summer Student policy, the following process has been approved:

   1. After applying, incoming students are added into a pool and eventually selected by a lab or IC (https://www.training.nih.gov/apps/publicForms/sip/forms/sipApp.aspx)
      
   1. The online application contains consent to release personal information to law enforcement agencies for the purpose of conducting background screenings. (Appendix 3)
   2. IC Coordinator will be supplied with a “Security Checklist for Summer Student Appointments” for each incoming summer student. (Appendix 1)
   1. The Security Checklists are routed through the IC/lab for approval.
   2. If any of the boxes are checked indicating the student will require additional processing, the summer student must be fingerprinted and undergo a full background investigation, normally a National Agency Check and Inquiries (NACI). These individuals will not receive an NCIC check.
   3. DPSAC does not require a copy of the security checklist. This does not preclude you from completing one for every student; after completion the checklists should be kept in the student's file at their respective IC.
   4. Send a copy to DPSAC for recordkeeping.
   3. Additional information must be gathered from the applicant in order to perform the NCIC check (date of birth, SSN). The IC Coordinator will email each student a PIV Badge Request Form (HHS 745- Appendix 2) and instruct them to either mail to the IC Coordinator or return on EOD day.
   1. The IC POC will forward all completed badge request forms to DPSAC:
      Attn: DPSAC Summer Student Coordinator
      National Institutes of Health
      Building 31, Room B1A26, MSC 2143
      9000 Rockville Pike
      Bethesda, MD 20892
   4. The Sponsor/AO creates a record in NED and tags as “Summer Student.”
   1. General student information is collected by the sponsoring IC
   2. All students must be authorized to receive a badge
   3. If the student requires additional security processing as defined by the Security Checklist (Appendix 1), write “Investigation Required” in the Comments field
      1. These individuals will require a CAN number in order to begin processing
      2. Since the number of summer students receiving full investigations is negligible, we have determined that it would be best to schedule fingerprinting appointments on a case-by-case basis. DPSAC staff dedicated to summer student processing will work with the coordinators to find the best time for each student.
   5. DPSAC will run a daily list of all new Summer Student records in NED. Once the badge request form (HHS-745) is received from the IC coordinator, the NCIC check will be performed.
   6. If no additional processing is required after the NCIC check, the student will be sent an email notifying them that they have been approved to receive an NIH ID badge. The student must print this email and report to a badging office to receive their badge.

   From receipt of the badge request form to sending the badge authorization email, this process is anticipated to take less than a day in most cases.

3. Summer Student Flowchart
   
   Click here to view the Summer Student Workflow.

4. Summer Students Requiring Background Investigations
   
   The level of investigation will be determined by the position sensitivity level and the Summer Student Checklist (Appendix 1). Any individual requiring this additional processing will be tagged as a summer student in NED, but needs to have “Investigation Required” typed in the Comments field.
   This policy is applicable at all NIH locations.

5. Summer Students at Remote Locations
   
   Summer students who will be reporting to remote locations (RML, NIEHS, etc.) will receive NCIC checks performed by the NIH Police (Bethesda Campus). DPSAC will adjudicate the results of the NCIC check and notify the applicants when they have been authorized for an NIH ID badge.
   Many remote locations will be equipped with their own initiation/enrollment stations for summer students who require an OPM background investigation. In this event, the standard PIV process will be followed.  The remote site will be responsible for enrollment (fingerprints/photograph) and badge issuance while DPSAC will adjudicate the background investigation.

6. Foreign Summer Students
   
   Foreign Summer Students will be processed through the Division of International Services (DIS) in addition to the NCIC check. For more information, please see http://dis.ors.od.nih.gov.

7. FDA Summer Students
   
   FDA will conduct all required background checks for these students.
   Click below to view Appendix 1-3.

• Appendix 1: Security Checklist
• Appendix 2: PIV Badge Request Form (HHS-745)
• Appendix 3: Online Application Privacy Statement
• Appendix 4: Summer Student Guide

 

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