The SUNY system has voted to “Ban the Box” on student applications, meaning applicants are no longer required to disclose their criminal history when applying to any of SUNY’s 64 campuses.
The change was passed by the SUNY Board of Trustees, the governing body of SUNY, last Wednesday and follows a national “Ban the Box” movement as well as a resolution passed by the SUNY Student Assembly (SUNY SA) in March.
The resolution reads, “Criminal history screenings should only be implemented after a student has been admitted, and they should never be used to revoke admission.”
Under the policy passed by the trustees, students will not be asked about their criminal history before a decision has been made regarding their admission.
Instead, individual schools will reserve the right to ask students to declare any felonies they have been charged with when they seek campus housing, apply for on-campus internships or embark on study abroad programs. Permission to participate in campus activities such as these can still be revoked, even though admission status cannot be changed based on felony convictions.
SUNY SA President Marc Cohen, a graduate student studying public administration at University at Albany, said he was happy to see the resolution pass, and it will go a long way toward improving the lives of many people.
“Being part of a system that changes lives, it’s important to remember that every student deserves a chance at a great life,” Cohen said.
The Binghamton University Student Association has been in favor of the resolution since its inception.
Raaga Rajagopala, the Student Association executive vice president (EVP) and a junior double-majoring in economics and French, said that the Student Association played an active role in the resolution.
“Last Spring, three of our current Executive Board members, including myself were present at the SUNY SA Conference where the Ban the Box resolution was passed,” Rajagopala wrote in an email. “Our Executive Board supports this resolution.”
The change in policy has been well-received by public officials across the state, with many releasing statements praising SUNY as a progressive institution.
“I commend the SUNY Board of Trustees for acting today to remove questions about a prospective student’s criminal history from admissions applications,” New York state Governor Andrew Cuomo wrote in a statement. “We must help individuals who have served their time to move past their mistakes.”
The governor’s office also defended the new policy based on its social justice impact, emphasizing the unequal impact screening by criminal history has on minority populations.
“Research shows that a majority of candidates who are asked to disclose prior felony convictions on SUNY admissions applications do not complete the process,” continued the governor’s statement. “This has a particularly negative impact on applicants of color as a result of racial disparities in the criminal justice system.“
The resolution states the system-wide adoption of the policy is slated to occur by the 2018 admission cycle. Administrators at BU have yet to receive any directives from SUNY’s central office, but plan on following whatever instruction they receive.
“We anticipate additional guidance on implementation of the policy from System Administration now that it has been adopted by the Board of Trustees,” said Ryan Yarosh, director of media and public relations. “We will update our own policies and procedures as necessary to reflect that guidance and will provide notice of the changes once all the details are available.”