Students with a History of Felony or Other Violent Crime

Terra State Community College (TSCC) has a high standard of conduct for members of its College community, including students. To enhance the safety of the TSCC community, all applicants are responsible for informing the college of any prior, and current felony convictions and all prior convictions involving violence, drug abuse, harm to others, or weapons in any state or country upon application to the college. The college may admit, admit with restrictions, defer, or deny admission based on the nature and circumstance of the crime(s).
 
Terra State Community College is committed to maintain a safe and secure campus community for all students, staff, faculty and visitors on campus. The purpose of the ex-offender admissions policy is to provide all potential students who may have prior or current felonies on their record an equal opportunity to be provided a college education.

Ex-Offenders Admissions Procedures

  • Students indicating a felony conviction on the College application will automatically be sent to the BIT Chair for review. The BIT chair will then look into the background and criminal history of the potential student, then decide if the potential student will be required to interview with members of the Behavioral Intervention Team (BIT) and will notify the admission team through the application system, and email that the potential student will not only need a BCI/FBI background check, but also an interview with the BIT team. BCI/FBI background checks are mandatory for all felony applications, however an interview with the BIT team is based on the seriousness of the felony charge.
  • Background checks may be purchased through the cashier’s office and performed by Campus Safety and Security. The student is responsible to pay all costs associated with the background check and responsible for calling and setting up an appointment. Students required to submit a background check will have their application remain as “pending” until the background check has been received and approval from the BIT Chair provided.
  • Additionally, if a student is currently on probation and or parole they may be subject to denial if terms do not allow the potential student to be able to successfully complete in their programs. Students with current felonies going through the court process may be denied based on the seriousness of the crime, and or facing potential jail/prison time. Admission to the college and course registration may not take place until the background check has been completed and if the applicant was required to have an interview with the BIT team.
  • If an applicant indicates they accidently pressed “yes” on the application process for having a felony on their record, the potential student will still be required to have a BCI/FBI background check completed before they can be accepted to terra state and enroll in classes.
  • If an application is found to have falsified information on their application and found to have a felony and or felony in progress, the student will be contacted by the BIT Chair and will have to fill out a form admitting they included false information on their application. The applicant may sign the form in person when they come in for their mandatory background check, and falsifying on their application will automatically require an interview with the BIT team. If the potential student fails to fill out this form, they will automatically be denied. If a potential student is found to have falsified information on the application and found to have a felony in progress or prior felony after being accepted the potential student will not be allowed to schedule classes until the following have been completed: a BCI/FBI background check, an interview with the BIT team, and form filled out identifying that they provided false information on the application process. Applicants may face consequences such as removal and denial of taking courses on TSCC campus.
  • If the student is required to interview with members of the Behavioral Intervention Team, the BIT chair will contact their advisor and either the admissions advisor or admission specialist will notify the potential student of the next steps. If the potential student cannot attend the scheduled interview, they must notify the campus safety office at 419-559-2253 and request to reschedule. Failure to reschedule or attend the interview, or fail to have a BCI/FBI background check completed will result in the application remaining in a pending status.
  • The Chair of the BIT team and or up to three committee members will conduct the interview. Each member will have one vote. A simple majority vote is necessary to make any decision of the potential student being accepted, or denied. The vote then will be shared with the admissions specialist or advisor, and they will contact the student and inform them of a final decision. If a decision is made to deny a potential student, the student will receive a denial letter in the mail with the BIT’s decision. Denials of potential student are based on seriousness of the felony, current year of the felony, jail or prison sentence and probationary terms
  • Final determinations regarding enrollment of students with criminal activity, safety and security of the college rests with the Behavioral Intervention Team Chair and Behavioral Intervention Team members. The Dean of Enrollment Services may request to meet with the Behavioral Intervention Team Chair and BIT team to discuss a potential student’s admissions decision. If the Dean of Enrollment Services does not concur with the Behavioral intervention team’s decision and vote a short rationale regarding the decision will be issued, which shall be shown to the applicant upon request.

Admissions Procedures

Please note that applicants can be deferred or denied if their presence poses a substantial risk of harm to the campus or if they are under conditions of post-release supervision (i.e. probation or parole) that prevent enrollment.
 
Current students with new felony convictions or convictions involving violence, harm to others, or weapons in any state or country must report that conviction to the Dean of Student Success per the Student Code of Conduct.
 
Failure to disclose required and accurate information may result in separation from the College, including invalidation of application, immediate suspension from the College, and/or dismissal.
 

View the College's official Ex-Offender Admission Policy and Procedures

For more information about this process, contact the Director of Campus Safety & Security at 419-559-2253 or Dean of Student Success at 419-559- 2416.