Thursday, March 28, 2024

Background checks help improve campus safety

Just as the shootings at Columbine High School in 1999 have shaped the way people view the high school experience, so, unfortunately, have the Virginia Tech shootings affected people’s perception of universities. Safety — while likely never completely out of mind — has slowly crept up to become a major topic when discussing colleges.

With this in mind, it’s unsurprising to learn many universities have begun to institute background checks for potential students. A survey conducted by CertifiedBackground.com of 200 universities shows that 10 percent have instituted background checks for students living on campus.

MSU has had a similar policy in place to screen all students — not just those living on campus — since before the shootings occurred.

Are these background checks a good idea?

Definitely. Students’ safety should be one of a university’s priorities. An unsafe environment is detrimental to the learning atmosphere.

While some may claim the checks are an invasion of privacy, such ideas are ridiculous. Just as any reasonable person would expect a potential employer to look into their background, so too should a university have that right, if only for the sake of the other students.

The real question: Do these checks actually accomplish anything?

Undoubtedly, they have weeded out certain potentially dangerous people. However, we must all acknowledge the fact that the majority of people applying are teenagers. Many who have past convictions could raise warning flags likely had those records sealed when they became a legal adult. In those circumstances, a background check would find nothing.

It’s also possible for a person to not have committed any crimes but still be mentally unstable enough to present any potential dangers. Such was the case of the Virginia Tech shooter.

A background check alone would not uncover anything in that case either. What would be needed is a mental health check, which is something that is both unreasonable and unfeasible for a multitude of reasons.

What’s most troubling is the fact a background check can’t highlight students who have committed numerous offenses but have yet to be caught. These people also would fall through the cracks.

Even acknowledging the massive flaws in the program, background checks are still something that should be continued. If the checks are able to prevent even just one problem, the program has proven itself worthwhile.

What one has to wonder, however, is why many universities extend the program only to those who wish to live on campus. Do universities really feel comfortable allowing a person they would not allow to live in the dorms to sit in a classroom?

An unstable student living off campus is just as likely to cause problems on campus as they are off campus.

Really, it’s in the universities’ best interests to simply screen all their students. Even with all the problems, stopping the checks would be like simply rolling the dice with university safety.

That’s a gamble neither the school nor students should take.

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