The Louisiana Legislature has taken another forward step by “banning the box” on higher education institution application forms. The box in question is one asking applicants if they have a prior conviction.
Legislators last year voted to ban the box on applications for state employment. Once Gov. John Bel Edwards signs this year’s legislation, as he did last year, prospective students will have a better opportunity to attend college.
Louisiana would then become the first state to take questions about most crimes off college applications. Exceptions are for persons convicted of stalking, cyber stalking, rape or sexual battery.
The Advocate said a national survey showed that 66 percent of postsecondary institutions around the country collected criminal histories of all prospective students, and 35 percent reported denying admission to applicants because of their criminal past
Under the new legislation, once a student is admitted college administrators will be allowed to question the applicants about their past in order to talk about housing, financial aid and other details essential for enrolling.
The newspaper told the story of Syrita Steib-Martin, a lab supervisor at Touro Infirmary in New Orleans who explained the benefits of ban-the-box legislation. The University of New Orleans rejected her after checking the box on her first application. She had been involved in stealing cars at age 19 and served nine years in prison.
Steib-Martin turned her life around while in prison by taking community college courses. The next time she applied she didn’t check the box and was admitted with a scholarship.
“Same academic credentials, same application form, same identification number — the only difference was she left off the check mark identifying her as a convicted felon,” the newspaper said.
While at UNO, Steib-Martin tutored other chemistry students, excelled in math and science and won academic honors. She decided to tell a professor about her criminal past and not checking the box on her application. Because of her record, she was allowed to stay.
“Had I not been allowed to get an education, life wouldn’t have become better for me,” she said.
Steib-Martin was later admitted to the LSU Health Science Center in New Orleans after explaining her past and being quizzed by a panel. She did the research that helped Reps. Vincent Pierre, D-Lafayette, and Ted James, D-Baton Rouge, write this year’s legislation and has also been promoting it in other areas.
Congratulations to members of the House who voted 95-0 for the legislation and the Senate that approved it 31-3. Louisiana being first for a change has a nice ring to it.