Universities Show Support for Never Again Movement

Yale, Dartmouth, Brown, and MIT have shown support for high school students participating in the #NeverAgain movement (photo credit: Namkota).

Will students who participate in #NeverAgain protests or stage walkouts at their schools in the hope of decreasing gun violence in America face repercussions come the time they apply for admission to colleges? More than 40 schools have said that they most certainly will not face any negative consequences — including Yale University, Dartmouth College, Brown University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Certainly this kind of question would be on the mind of a high school student torn between wanting to add their voice to a chorus of voices in the student-led movement and not wanting to jeopardize their admission to a highly selective university. Well, for these students, they don’t have to worry.

The Common Application’s Disciplinary Question

One of the questions posed on the Common Application, the most widely used college application, reads as follows: “Have you ever been found responsible for a disciplinary violation at any educational institution you have attended from the 9th grade (or the international equivalent) forward, whether related to academic misconduct or behavioral misconduct, that resulted in a disciplinary action? These actions could include, but are not limited to: probation, suspension, removal, dismissal, or expulsion from the institution.”

So even if a student faces disciplinary action from his or her high school for peacefully participating in a walkout or anti-gun protest (which they’ll have to report on the Common App. if it falls into the aforementioned category), they will not face negative repercussions with respect to their case for admission to schools like Yale, Dartmouth, Brown, MIT, and a host of other selective institutions. On this particular occasion, we take these colleges at their word. And regular readers of our college admissions blog know all too well that we don’t often take colleges at their word (e.g., colleges claim to be need-blind — nonsense). But on this occasion, we do.

As reports Gina Cherelus for “Reuters” in a piece entitled “Prestigious U.S. colleges won’t reject students who protest guns,” “‘Yale will NOT be rescinding anyone’s admission decision for participating in peaceful walkouts for this or other causes, regardless of any high school’s disciplinary policy,’ Hannah Mendlowitz, a senior assistant director of admissions and recruitment at Yale University, wrote on Friday in a blog post. ‘I, for one, will be cheering these students on from New Haven,’ Mendlowitz said.” Way to tell it like it is, Hannah Mendlowitz!

Ivy Coach salutes these universities for realizing that high school students might very well be concerned that their participation in this important movement could hinder their chances of college admission. They shouldn’t have to worry. And now they won’t have to worry. Let’s hope to see more universities added to this growing list in the coming days and weeks!