What if aspiring UNC students did not have to provide information about their criminal history? Regardless of the severity of the crime, what if they didn’t have to report it? Would the student body transform into a group of unruly young adults with no regard for the law or other human beings? Probably not. In fact, it would help qualified, intelligent students avoid the stigma of being convicted when applying for college.
Last week, U.S. Secretary of Education, John B. King Jr., proposed a new policy in which colleges would be required to stop asking applicants about their criminal history during the admissions process — more specifically, during the early stages of the application process.
In addition to the proposal, the Department of Education also distributed a guide, “Beyond the Box,” to encourage college presidents to adopt the policy. King Jr. supported his proposal by citing the disproportionate impact the question has on people of color.
The Center for Community Alternatives, an advocacy group based in New York, conducted a study that revealed the negative impact the box can have. Their results found that almost two-thirds of applications who checked the “yes” box, did not complete the application. In doing so, qualified students, with potential to not only succeed but contribute to a collegiate environment, are averted.
In addition to giving aspiring students a second chance, there are other benefits of banning the box.
UNC prides itself on its diverse faculty and student body. Banning the box would allow UNC to further diversify its population, which in turn could enhance the classroom experience for students.
A concern parents may have is that removing the box may negatively impact campus safety.
Results from the aformentioned study concluded that there is no correlation between criminal screenings and campus safety.
There are countless students who sell and take drugs, drink underage, and cheat on exams while at UNC — and there is no telling what connections could have prevented some students from previous encounters with the law before entering college. Morally, who’s to say that stealing food to help one’s family is worse than dealing drugs in a dorm room? Not all current students are squeaky clean.
