In a message sent today to the University of Wisconsin-Madison community, Chancellor Rebecca Blank said a student convicted in 2005 of setting fire to two African-American churches now wants to start an "alt-right" campus organization. The 33-year-old student, Daniel L. Dropik, served time in federal prison for his crimes.
The alt-right is a white nationalist movement. In a video pitch for his group, Dropik describes it as "pro white student club" that will combat "anti-white racism" on the Madison campus.
Blank said she was troubled by the request and concerned about student safety.
According to the Wisconsin State Journal:
Dropik, who also works as a student hourly employee, has handed out slips of paper at UW encouraging students to "fight anti-white racism on campus" by joining a Madison chapter of the white nationalist American Freedom Party, according to The Badger Herald. The flier included the hashtag #UWAltRight, using a common term for the ideology that mixes racism and white nationalism.
I have been reading some of the immediate reactions from Wisconsin. First, people are surprised someone could be admitted to the state flagship campus with a record of racially motivated arson. Secondly, people caution new policies to prevent similar admissions risk penalizing all applicants with criminal records.
In May, the Obama administration urged colleges to consider what and how they ask applicants about their criminal backgrounds so that young people who made mistakes and paid for them are not shut out of higher education.
A guidance issued by the U.S. Department of Education states:
Today, an estimated 70 million Americans have been involved with the criminal justice system. Data show plainly that people of color are more likely to come in contact with the justice system due, in part, to punitive school disciplinary policies that disproportionately impact certain student groups and racial profiling. There is also growing recognition that successful reintegration back into our society for justice-involved individuals benefits those individuals, their families, and our communities. Research also shows that education can be a powerful pathway for justice-involved individuals to transition out of prison back into the classroom or the workforce, and cuts the likelihood of returning to prison within three years by over 40 percent. 2 With this context, it is critical to ensure that gateways to higher education, such as admissions practices, do not disproportionately disadvantage justice-involved individuals who have already served their time.
Here is the letter from the Wisconsin chancellor. What would you do if you were Chancellor Blank?
January 26, 2017
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