'Ban the Box' Coming to College Admissions

Recently the US Secretary of Education, John B. King, publicized a new policy proposal in which he asked universities to stop asking applicants about their criminal history during the early stages of the admissions process.

This proposal signifies the national ‘ban the box’ movement spreading into different areas of life outside employment. Citing the belief in fairness and second chances, King said “We must ensure more people have the chance at higher education opportunities.”

In addition to the new proposal, the Department of Education is providing guides to universities across the nation urging them to follow the federal government’s lead. Late last year the Obama administration issued an executive order banning federal employers from asking about applicant’s criminal histories in the application stage.

Over half of universities currently collect criminal history information on applicants with many admitting that they would “probably or definitely” not admit an otherwise qualified applicant who had a criminal history. The goal of ‘ban the box’ advocates is to avoid that scenario and provide applicants with a criminal history a more equitable opportunity to provide a true context to their past offenses before a final decision is made.

With ‘ban the box’ laws gaining steam across the nation with employment applications, it was only a matter of time before advocates would look to apply it to university admissions. This is another example to employers everywhere that ‘ban the box’ laws will be a fact of life in the hiring process. It is the employer’s responsibility to know any federal or state employment law that affects their business

Learn more about the various products and services IntelliCorp offers our clients.

Comments

Blog post currently doesn't have any comments.

Add Your Comment