Dive Brief:
- The American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers has changed its tune over whether colleges should note major disciplinary actions, like sexual assault, on transcripts.
- The Huffington Post reports while the organization has long identified such steps as "not recommended," AACRAO sent a message to members on Wednesday that said the practice is now "optional."
- The change follows a member survey in which 40% of respondents said they believed transcripts should include a note if students can't re-enroll because of disciplinary issues, though 85% said their schools do not include such notes now.
Dive Insight:
As sexual assault on college campuses has gotten more attention, students who have transferred because of sexual assault allegations have been able to apply and enroll in other institutions without their history being known. The Association of Title IX Administrators has been advocating such notations on student transcripts since last year.
The concern, of course, is over the rights of accused students.
Should past actions follow them on transcripts and even to future employers? Advocates of the change say student safety demands it. An influential study found most rapists to be serial rapists, but more recent research has contradicted that finding, arguing the problem is bigger than a few bad apples.