JAMES LILLIN
Staff Writer
It started with a question on the SUNY application that most students probably never gave a second thought: “Have you ever been convicted of a felony?”
Many students simply check the box marked “No,” and continue on with their application process; for prospective students who have committed a felony, the question is a source of endless grief and frustration.
So, what happens if a student checks “Yes”?
“[Fredonia has] a four-member panel to discuss [the outcome] when someone checks that box … we pretty much [follow] the guidance of the probation officers,” said Vice President for Student Affairs David Herman.
“It’s not a perfect system,” he continued, “[but] we kind of like the system we have.”
Last weekend the SUNY Student Assembly (SUNY SA) passed a resolution from SUNY New Paltz and the University at Albany to “Ban the Box,” calling for the removal of the felony question from all SUNY college applications.
Although non-binding, the resolution sends a clear signal about how students feel about the issue, and SUNY SA will continue to apply pressure at the next SUNY Board of Trustees meeting on May 4 to remove the question from all future SUNY applications.
Senior English and international studies double major Zach Beaudoin was the first to propose the resolution at Fredonia.
“I initially thought of the idea to write a ban the box resolution because of the racially biased policies that stem out of the war on drugs,” said Beaudoin. “Thankfully, students from New Paltz and Albany presented a resolution that was more thorough.”
“I was hesitant at first, but people with sex crimes are in a separate registry that will still be in place … they are mandated to report when they move to an area and join school so it wouldn’t be a problem,” continued Beaudoin.
Student opposition to “the box” seems to stem from the fact that U.S. felony law is fairly broad, including vandalism, drug abuse, driving while intoxicated and forgery, as well as a litany of violent and sexual crimes.
Many students are in favor of the Ban the Box campaign.
“People go to jail for things that aren’t necessarily their fault, especially if they made a really bad decision if they were really young,” said sophomore acting major Emma Jessop.
Sophomore women’s and gender studies major Isabella X, who voiced support for Ban the Box at the Fredonia Student Association’s general assembly meeting on April 14, said, “I think most of the arguments against banning the box are from irrational fear of convicted people. It’s my belief that people convicted of a crime aren’t inherently more violent than the rest of us.”
“It is an obstacle to get into school that I believe unnecessarily disenfranchises those convicted of crimes,” X added.
Some students feel that “the box” is inherently unfair, because the justice system in the U.S. is inherently unfair. Dean Bavisotto, junior English and women’s and gender studies dual major, feels that criminal status has a great impact on people of color.
“Systems of oppression based on race and class disproportionately affect people of color and people who live in areas with a lower SES (socioeconomic status),” said junior English and women’s and gender studies dual major Dean Bavisotto. “Nonviolent criminals are way more likely to go to prison and get harsher sentences if it’s a person of color. If you want me to respect the laws, make them respectable.”
Ultimately, students feel that making it more difficult for individuals who have committed felonies to get an education is making our justice system worse, not better.
“Sixty percent of [those with a past felony] that see the box on an application don’t fill it out and and that’s troubling from the numbers standpoint,” said Beaudoin, “because there is absolutely no data indicating that campuses are less safe without the box.”
It can already be difficult to afford the litany of college application fees, and questions like “the box” may make applying to college more prohibitive for those who it would be most beneficial to.
“People should have the opportunity to learn if they want to take it,” said John Boughton, freshman theatre arts major. “I mean, it’s not like we have many serial killers applying, sometimes it’s just kids who got caught with pot, and now their lives are gone.”
“Ban the Box” could be the first of many steps to providing higher education to all.
“By allowing better access to higher education,” said Beaudoin, “we open the door to allow people with prior crimes to better their lives and contribute to society.”
Hopefully the resolution will do just that.