“Have you ever been adjudicated guilty or convicted of a misdemeanor, felony or other crime?”
For many students applying to universities, this Common Application question is just another little tick-box to skip over in the long stressful process of completing college applications. For others, a singular tick on this square may determine whether they will be getting a higher education. According to a survey done by the Center for Community Services, 66 percent of U.S. colleges collect some form of criminal history information from applicants during the admissions process. In the wake of growing college-related violence, such as the 2007 Virginia Tech shootings, many colleges have adopted the idea that applicants with criminal histories compromise campus security. Not only is this stance statistically untrue, but it also hinders applicants who have made changes toward becoming better citizens since being charged. Currently, the University uses the Common Application to ask applicants about any potential criminal records. While collecting this information is no doubt important, the University should refrain from letting these records weigh too heavily in the admissions process.
When I emailed Dean of Admissions Greg Roberts to ask about how the University uses criminal record information, he explained the admissions office “does its best to make fair and impartial decisions” regarding records but also wants “to make sure all students are living in a safe environment” at the University. This second idea is understandable; after all, it would seem dangerous to enroll potential criminals as students. Yet there are no data supporting the idea that juveniles with criminal records create a more insecure campus. According to the CCA, the 38 percent of colleges that don't collect criminal records from applicants have yet to report any increased criminal activities on their campuses. In fact, students with past criminal records rarely commit violence at their universities. Following a double murder in 2004 at the University of North Carolina, UNC established a committee to analyze the demographics of crime on campus, eventually discovering only 4 percent of crimes committed within the past three years had been carried out by students with criminal histories.
Asking information about criminal records on applications isn't necessarily a bad idea, and requesting proper supplements in tandem — like asking applicants to write letters of explanation about their rehabilitation process — can even help colleges see how a student has changed from his past behavior. The core problem lies in how this information is used in the admissions process. The CCA survey suggests that while a quarter of schools collect criminal record information only for further background checks, 61 percent still use it as a factor in the admissions process and out of that 61 percent, a quarter of colleges may even use criminal records as an “automatic bar to admission.” At academic institutions, using criminal records as a primary excuse for declining applicants is not only unfortunate but also dangerous and counterintuitive. Numerous studies have shown receiving a college or university education significantly lowers recidivism rates. Barring rehabilitated ex-prisoners or once reckless teenagers with records from entering the very institutions that would help them reintegrate into society would indirectly push them back toward illegal activities.
Thankfully, the University does not automatically ban admissions of students with certain criminal backgrounds, but according to Roberts, “if a student answers yes to any of the [criminal record] questions, we might seek more information from the student and/or high school before rendering a decision,” meaning the University places importance on background information during the application process.
Administrators at New York University have devised a unique solution to the issue of collecting criminal record information on university applications. In May, NYU updated its admissions policy, postponing admissions reviewers’ ability to view applicants’ criminal records. Instead, applicants will now initially be viewed solely on the merit of their application; if they pass through this first round and have a criminal record, a special committee will then decide whether their record will affect their admission. Members of the special committee will even receive training to be unbiased when analyzing records.
NYU’s balanced policy should be an example to the University and other institutions on how to handle criminal record information because it allows universities to keep tabs on students’ backgrounds while also eliminating roadblocks for applicants with records. One out of every four Americans has at some point had a criminal record, and every year an approximate half a million Americans leave jail only to find the pathways toward successful careers lay locked behind the doors of universities they can’t attend. The University should emulate NYU’s policy in making criminal records less important in admissions and establish a trained committee to review applicant criminal records unbiasedly.
Hasan Khan is an Opinion columnist for the Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at h.khan@cavalierdaily.com.
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