People who want to sport purple-and-gold pride as University of Washington undergraduates will have to divulge a new piece of information when applying: whether they have a criminal past.
After months of debate and deliberation — both on and off campus — UW administrators have decided to include a single, multipart criminal history question on the 2014-2015 undergraduate application that asks prospective students whether they have been convicted of a violent felony offense, have any such charges pending or are registered sex offenders.
If the answer is “yes”, the applicant moves on to part two, which asks them to describe the nature of the matter and explain why it should not be cause for concern to the safety of the university.
Norm Arkans, spokesperson for UW, stressed that a “yes” doesn’t mean automatic rejection.
“That’s not what this is about,” he said. “The whole point of our holistic evaluation of applications is that every situation is different. For those who come to us with this particular experience, we want to take a close look at it and see where this person is in his or her life.”
The impetus to include a criminal background question dates from the 2012 winter quarter, when two level-three sex offenders enrolled at UW (“UW weighs whether to ask undergrad applicants about criminal history” RC, Feb. 20).
UW has solidified its decision, but the new policy is just as controversial as it was when the administration first began discussions.
A student group called Huskies for Fairness opposes the new policy and has an online petition with roughly 3,700 signatures.
Opponents fear the question will deter people from applying in the first place, even if they have served their time and would benefit from an education, which has been shown to reduce repeat offences.
They also argue that there is no evidence to show that students with criminal records pose a safety risk, and they cite the disproportionate incarceration of people of color. Critics say the policy will unfairly impact minority groups and reinforce systematic discrimination.
Arkans said the question reflects the administration’s careful consideration of the issues, and it is narrowly tailored to apply to only the most serious sexual and violent crimes.
“What’s important from our perspective is that people understand what we’re asking and what we’re not asking,” Arkans said. “We’re not asking about just any interaction with the criminal justice system.”
When it comes to inquiring about prospective students’ criminal history, UW is not breaking new ground. The Common Application, a standard application for nearly 500 colleges and universities, contains questions that cover a much broader criminal history, including misdemeanors, as well as high school disciplinary action.
After studying the experiences of Western Washington University, which for years has had an application that asks about criminal history, UW officials do not expect to see many instances where students answer yes.
If and when someone does, Arkans said, the application would go to a special review committee.