| Title: | Information Regarding Admission/Readmission for Students with Behavioral History |
|---|---|
| Process Owner: | Behavioral History Review Committee |
| Applies to: | Undergraduate and Graduate Student Populations |
| Campus Applicability: | Excludes UConn Health and the School of Law |
| Effective Date: | June 26, 2015 |
| For More Information, Contact | Dean of Students |
| Contact Information: | dos@uconn.edu |
The University of Connecticut is committed to providing a safe environment for its students, faculty, and staff. To promote this environment, all applicants for admission to the University are required to indicate whether they have been subject to disciplinary action for earlier behavioral misconduct or have been convicted of any crime. To ensure that applicants indicating such conduct receive a fair evaluation, the appropriate admission authority (i.e., The Graduate School, Undergraduate Admissions, Dean of Students) will refer such applicants on to the Behavioral History Review Committee (BHRC), which will undertake a thorough and holistic review of the conduct they identify in the context of their application for admission. If the candidate for admission is otherwise identified as a viable candidate for admission by the respective admissions office, the BHRC Review of this history may result in denying an applicant admission to the university, admitting an applicant subject to certain conditions (e.g., restricting access to on-campus housing or requiring participation in counseling services), or admitting an applicant without any restrictions.
The BHRC is chaired by the Dean of Students office and is charged with the responsibility of reviewing and mutually determining admissibility of applicants, in conjunction with the appropriate admissions authorities, who identify having a criminal and/or behavioral history
Membership within the Behavioral History Review Committee (BHRC) consists of:
Dean of Students, and/or designee (Chair)
Dean of the Graduate School, and/or designee
Director of Undergraduate Admissions, and/or designee
Director of Community Standards, and/or designee
General Counsel, and/or designee (advisory capacity only, attends on as needed basis)
Chief of Police, and/or designee
BHRC Procedure
Applicants for admission or readmission will be required to identify through the application any prior criminal conviction or disciplinary history. Applicants will be instructed that if they identify any prior criminal conviction or disciplinary history, it will be their responsibility to supply with their application:
For criminal convictions:
- A statement explaining the circumstances of each conviction;
- Documentation (police and/or court records) for all such convictions. UConn will not contact a courthouse or attorney on behalf of an applicant.
For prior disciplinary history
- A statement explaining the circumstances of each instance of discipline
- Any documents the applicant believes relevant or helpful
- Certification of disciplinary history from previous institution(s)
Applicants will be advised that their application is incomplete until all information related to a criminal conviction or disciplinary history is received by the University, that it is their responsibility to obtain and provide records and documents, and that failure to provide truthful responses on the application and/or supporting material may result in revocation of admission and/or disciplinary action by the University.
Upon receipt of proper documentation, the appropriate admissions authority will contact the Chair of the BHRC for preliminary review. Preliminary review may result in mutual agreement that applicant is able to enter the university community without restriction and therefore may move forward through the appropriate admissions process.
All other candidates, including those that cannot be mutually agreed upon and/or may result in denial or admission with restrictions shall be referred on to the BHRC for full committee review.
Committee Review Process
The purpose of the BHRC is to review the relevant information to make a determination whether an applicant with conviction or disciplinary history is eligible for admission and the conditions associated with admission, if any. Such a determination shall be made only after considering the nature of the misconduct or crime and its relationship to the program for which the person has applied; information pertaining to the degree of rehabilitation of the applicant; the time elapsed since the misconduct, conviction, or release from incarceration; and the essay and other information provided by the applicant. The BHRC will include as necessary and on an ad hoc basis a representative from the school or program to which the applicant seeks admission so that the BHRC has the benefit of that input and any program specific considerations.[1] The BHRC will also have the ability to request additional information from and/or an interview with the applicant.
The findings of the committee will be communicated to the applicant by the appropriate office:
- Entering Undergraduates: Admissions
- Entering BGS: ACES
- Returning Undergraduates seeing Re-admission: Dean of Students Office
- Graduate Students: Dean of The Graduate School
- Entering Non Degree: Registrar
The findings of the BHRC are final and not subject to appeal.
Failure to Disclose
If a student fails to disclose a prior criminal conviction or disciplinary action on her/his application for admission, the University may rescind admission based solely on that failure to disclose.
[1] For example, under state law there are specific crimes which would make an applicant ineligible to be certified to teach.