They seem simple enough requests amid the many details that college applicants divulge: Check here if you’ve ever faced disciplinary action at school. Check here if you’ve been convicted of a crime.
But there’s actually nothing simple about it, student activists and civil rights groups say. These boxes, they say, end up turning unfair disciplinary and judicial practices into roadblocks to college for far too many students of color.
The push to "drop the box" – including recent calls to remove these two check boxes from the Common Application used by about 600 colleges and universities – is causing a major rethink at institutions that tout a commitment to access and diversity.
Read more at Christian Science Monitor: http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Education/2016/0219/On-college-applications-the-questions-some-say-shouldn-t-be-asked