I guy I know committed a felony (involving fraud) and spent a couple of years in prison. After he was released, he was hired by a small company run by a certain woman. She was heavily criticized for hiring him because of his criminal record even though he was well qualified for the job.
You may agree with the criticisms. But think about it a little more. Would it benefit society for this man to be unable to find employment? Wouldn’t it make it more likely that he would commit additional crimes because he would have no other way to support himself?
What, exactly, do we want ex-convicts to do? I think we want them to get jobs. So why criticize the people who hire them?
Now let’s expand the discussion to students. In today’s society, if you prevent a young person from getting a college education, you are greatly impairing that person’s ability to earn a living. Does this serve society’s needs?
Unless they have been convicted of crimes that carry a penalty of death or life imprisonment with no possibility of parole, everyone needs to be able to earn a living. Even mean girls. Even convicted rapists. Does it serve society’s needs to prevent them from obtaining the credentials needed to get a decent job? That’s what we’re doing if we prevent them from going to college.