New York University will announce today that it will stop considering at all a broad question on the Common Application about applicants’ disciplinary and criminal records. The Education Department and many organizations have been pushing colleges to avoid policies that may punish students for incidents they have moved past, or for encounters with a law enforcement system that in some localities is seen as hostile to minority youth. …
For example, the criminal question on the Common Application covers any crime. On the NYU application it sends those using the Common Application to apply, students will see a more focused question: “Within the last seven years after the age of 14, have you ever been convicted at trial, or pled guilty to, a criminal offense involving violence, physical force or the threat of physical force, a sexual offense, possession of a weapon, kidnapping, arson, or any offense which caused physical harm to another person?”
Of course, this goes exactly contrary to moves to screen applicants for things like sexual misconduct. I’m afraid that once again academia is helping to put itself in an impossible position. Or will only one class of misconduct or crime count? This will entail some very elaborate tying up in knots. Academia doesn’t seem to do casuistry very well these days. Or am I missing something?