Old Dominion University is asking current students to answer questions about their criminal histories after an ROTC instructor was killed and two students were injured.
The perpetrator was also a student and pleaded guilty to federal terrorism charges in 2017, for which he spent eight years in prison.
Framing the request as “an additional step to further strengthen our awareness and support the campus community,” the email from the university registrar’s office includes a questionnaire that asks each student to share their past felony convictions.
“This is not a routine request, but it reflects our commitment to thoughtfully consider every appropriate measure to support a safe and informed campus community,” reads the email, which was shared with WHRO by several students.
Requests to the university for further information about the request were not immediately returned.
Virginia law prohibits universities from asking about criminal histories on applications or denying admission based on them. After someone is admitted but before they are enrolled, the law allows universities to ask about prior convictions and to rescind admissions if the school feels someone’s criminal history makes them “a threat to the institution’s community.”
The law doesn’t say what a university can do with that information after the student has enrolled, and it’s not clear what ODU plans to do.
The email included a list of anticipated questions, accompanied by answers from the university.
Under a question asking if acknowledging prior convictions will result in expulsion, the university writes, “each situation will be reviewed thoughtfully and individually. A prior conviction does not automatically result in disciplinary action or any specific outcome.”
On whether the questionnaire is mandatory and what penalties students who refuse would face, the university only writes, “We are confident that students will recognize the importance of this matter to our safety on campus.”
