3 years ago
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What you do as a kid could soon determine your future.
Because of violent incidents, like the Virginia Tech shootings, some colleges and universities are considering adding background checks to the admission process.
And even non-criminal offenses may come up in determining scholarship awards.
Some college applications ask students about their past misbehavior and junior UCA marketing major Adam Page doesn't like that ?I just think it's a little absurd. What I did in high school and where I'm from is kind of my business." UCA president Lu Hardin says the need to look beyond academics is a sign of the times "If we continue to see these random acts of violence on college campuses, I believe over the next four or five years that every public college will have to use a portion of it's resources to look into ever student that comes in."
UCA's application has a box asking if a student has ever been convicted of a felony. If that box is checked yes, the school says that person will most likely not get in.
The school relies on the honor system because they don't confirm with a background check, something Hardin says say would be too expensive "If a student checked a blank ?no they haven't committed a felony? and they are a felon that student will be expelled." The university says criminal background information will come up in the financial aid application process and it's goal is to keep students safe.
Some students say they're OK sharing classes with someone with a record. Ultimately, the choice is up to the school. So high school students preparing for college may not only want to aim for high SAT scores but also for model behavior
UCA says if a student's up for a scholarship, even non-criminal behavioral problems could make a difference. UCA has it's own police department, with 25 full-time officers. And if a student is arrested and convicted of a felony once they've already been admitted they'll be expelled.
