The Ban the Box Campaign presented by James Miller and Coronavirus concerns headlined the final SGA Townhall of the semester.
Miller’s goal for his Ban the Box presentation was to get UCA faculty to consider removing the question asking applicants about their criminal conviction history. The campaign advocates for colleges to review an applicant’s academics before performing a background check, instead of the background check first.
Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management Kevin Thomas detailed UCA’s approach to evaluating applicants who are felons.
“When each individual case is being looked at, they’re looking at the various convictions that have been committed and just trying to make a determination from that information on whether that person should be a UCA student or not and that is what it comes down to is making those decisions,” Thomas said.
If applicants believe they are wrongfully denied, UCA does provide them the option of appealing the decision, which was beneficial to Miller, who was a convicted felon himself.
“Whenever I went through the process here, [UCA] didn’t examine my academic records until I went to the felon commitee. Then I got a denial from for my academic records because I was a knucklehead when I was 18. Eventually, I was able to appeal but ASU is strict and they don’t have an appeals process. When I got denied from ASU, it was just ‘sorry you’re not going here,’” Miller said.
Miller hopes starting this conversation will eventually lead to legistature that would create a more fair application process for applicants with criminal records.
“I’m reaching out to the NACCP and other universities to get conversations started on campuses. The overall goal is to get legislature passed at the state level, then the national goal is to get states that passed it to force the hand of Congress to actually pass a national law. It’s been passed in almost 20 states,” Miller said.
Miller believes denying felons can be counterproductive in deterring crime.
“I’ve done more than most people; I’ve been to rehab eight times and prison twice. It takes a lot of work to overcome this stuff because it’s a lot of factors involved like sociological influences. These are things keeping people in the cycle of being a burden on society,” Miller said.
President Houston Davis and Vice President for Student Services and Institutional Diversity Ronnie Williams assured constituents that the Coronavirus hasn’t spread to Arkansas. In the event the virus does spread to campus, UCA is working on ways to be prepared to finish the semester through online work. Davis said that the university is also working on being prepared to quarantine in case the virus makes its way onto campus. UCA continues to follow the advice of the CDC and Arkansas State Department of Health when it comes to making decisions.
One of the concerns presented by students is whether or not they should wear a mask. Williams advises using a mask only if you are sick, because the Student Health Center has a limited number of masks to give to students. Williams explained that the mask is only necessary if you are sick.
In regards to the mask, Associate Vice President for International Education and Engagement Philip Bailey expressed concerns that wearing masks could cause confusion on campus. Chinese officials advise everyone to wear the mask regardless of if they are sick or not and that could cause some people who aren’t familiar with the Chinese guidelines to panic.
Bailey said he is working with International Engagement to provide education on this possible cultural difference to finish the semester through online work. Davis said that the university is also working on being prepared to quarantine in case the virus makes its way onto campus. UCA continues to follow the advice of the CDC and Arkansas State Department of Health when it comes to making decisions.