Full Text of SR1706 100th General Assembly
SR1706 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
| | SR1706 | | LRB100 21897 MST 39766 r |
|
| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Public higher education is a shared public good; | 3 | | the University of Illinois System should serve everyone in | 4 | | Illinois with equal access to education and the freedom that | 5 | | comes from learning; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | 7 | | (UIUC) is the flagship campus and was one of the original 37 | 8 | | public land-grant institutions created under the Morill Act | 9 | | with the goal of increasing access to higher education, then | 10 | | widely unavailable to many agricultural and industrial | 11 | | workers; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), with its | 13 | | urban mission is "focused on eliminating disparities in health, | 14 | | education and economic opportunity" because "diversity is not | 15 | | an end in itself, but a vehicle for advancing access, equity, | 16 | | and inclusion" and considers itself one of the most ethnically | 17 | | and culturally diverse campuses in the country; and | 18 | | WHEREAS, The University of Illinois at Springfield (UIS) is | 19 | | a public affairs university resolved to pioneer leaders in | 20 | | public education who will investigate the social, | 21 | | technological, environmental, and moral questions of our times | 22 | | by encouraging exposure to public affairs that extend beyond |
| | | SR1706 | - 2 - | LRB100 21897 MST 39766 r |
|
| 1 | | the classroom and campus and to the community; and | 2 | | WHEREAS, 47% of adults in Illinois have a criminal record, | 3 | | which creates barriers to housing, jobs, employment, and full | 4 | | democratic participation; and | 5 | | WHEREAS, All the factors that increase the likelihood of | 6 | | involvement with the criminal legal system, such as being poor, | 7 | | coming from neighborhoods with low educational spending and | 8 | | high incarceration rates, or having low access to social | 9 | | mobility or economic opportunity, only persist or worsen after | 10 | | a conviction; and | 11 | | WHEREAS, Many high schools in poor communities of color | 12 | | disproportionately use suspension, expulsion, and | 13 | | zero-tolerance policies, and therefore disciplinary actions | 14 | | and arrests are much higher; and | 15 | | WHEREAS, Poor people of color are disproportionately | 16 | | arrested, convicted, and incarcerated, and African Americans | 17 | | and Latinos together make up approximately 32% of the U.S. | 18 | | population, but comprise 56% of all incarcerated people; and
| 19 | | WHEREAS, Asking university applicants about their high | 20 | | school disciplinary records and adult conviction records has a | 21 | | chilling effect, discouraging people from even applying to the |
| | | SR1706 | - 3 - | LRB100 21897 MST 39766 r |
|
| 1 | | University of Illinois, and all three campuses currently | 2 | | request information about an applicant's criminal record and | 3 | | high school records in the admission process, thus creating a | 4 | | barrier to education; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, The United States Department of Education has | 6 | | given forceful guidance for colleges and universities to | 7 | | eliminate collateral consequences of convictions and | 8 | | encourages abolition of these questions from applications, so | 9 | | that universities may mitigate, rather than exacerbate, the | 10 | | damage of the criminal justice system to individuals and | 11 | | communities; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, By discouraging people from applying, the | 13 | | University of Illinois system acts against the ideals of public | 14 | | higher education, undermines its mission to make higher | 15 | | education accessible to all, and impedes Illinois residents in | 16 | | their efforts to lead positive and productive lives, thus | 17 | | preventing people with unlimited potential from matriculating | 18 | | and depriving current students of valuable colleagues and | 19 | | peers; therefore, be it
| 20 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL | 21 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge the University | 22 | | of Illinois System to eliminate barriers to obtaining a | 23 | | post-secondary education by ceasing to inquire about prior |
| | | SR1706 | - 4 - | LRB100 21897 MST 39766 r |
|
| 1 | | conviction information or past high school disciplinary | 2 | | history on any admissions application; and be it further | 3 | | RESOLVED, That the University of Illinois System is urged | 4 | | not to consider any conviction or high school disciplinary | 5 | | history information provided at any point during the admissions | 6 | | process from any application using a third-party-vendor and | 7 | | should further urge any such vendor not to disclose such | 8 | | information to the University of Illinois; and be it further | 9 | | RESOLVED, That in spite of the above statements, inquiries | 10 | | or considerations of an applicant's criminal history are | 11 | | permitted if required by federal law or in accordance with | 12 | | Section 2605-327 of the Department of State Police Law of Civil | 13 | | Administrative Code of Illinois or Section 10, 15, or 20 of the | 14 | | Medical School Matriculant Criminal History Records Check Act; | 15 | | and be it further | 16 | | RESOLVED, That the University of Illinois is urged to only | 17 | | inquire about criminal history information related to specific | 18 | | convictions to follow existing laws and restrictions on aspects | 19 | | of campus life such as housing and employment after the student | 20 | | is admitted; and be it further | 21 | | RESOLVED, The University of Illinois is urged to only | 22 | | inquire about criminal history after an individual has been |
| | | SR1706 | - 5 - | LRB100 21897 MST 39766 r |
|
| 1 | | admitted, only to offer the individual supportive services, | 2 | | academic, or career counseling, and institutional support; and | 3 | | be it further | 4 | | RESOLVED, That the University of Illinois is urged to | 5 | | include information on all printed and online admissions | 6 | | materials that informs prospective applicants that a | 7 | | conviction record may affect an individual's ability to obtain | 8 | | certain professional or occupational licenses, types of | 9 | | employment, or to participate in certain clinical or other | 10 | | educational requirements; and be it further
| 11 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 12 | | delivered to all members of the Illinois General Assembly, and | 13 | | the Governor of the State of Illinois.
|
|