- UCO form asks for citizenship early in inquiry process
- Students express mixed reactions to the question
- Other universities vary in what information they request
It was brought to the attention of The Independent View that UCO’s Request Info page — a page meant for prospective students to receive information about the university — has only two initial questions: what programs is the viewer interested in, and what is their citizenship status.
After those questions are answered, the page reveals more questions about the viewer’s address, high school graduation date, and areas of interest.
The Indy reached out to University Communications for an explanation. Communications said that asking for the viewer’s citizenship status is a “contingency question” to place the prospective student into the correct communication channel in the university’s customer relationship management (CRM).
“The current RFI was implemented last year when the Office of Global Affairs integrated their recruitment and admissions into the university’s CRM,” University Communications said.
When informed about the RFI, Fernando Nuñez, a lawyer for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, said it struck him as odd.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if potential applicants are concerned when they come across those questions,” Nuñez said.
What do UCO students think of the RFI request?
The Indy asked UCO students what they thought of the RFI’s request for citizenship status.
Student Elliot Hale said that the question is attempting to take away opportunities for others.
“It doesn’t give anybody better opportunities and it limits people’s ability to become citizens later on,” Hale said.
Maggie Lawson described the question as “ridiculous.”
“I just truly don’t understand why it’s that important that it has to be the second question,” Lawson said.
Charly Duvall said that some colleges only allow certain majors to be taken by foreign exchange students and that it’s helpful for the university to know early in the process so they can best help the student.
Oklahoma State University, Cameron University, East Central University, Eastern Oklahoma State College, Langston University and the University of Science and Arts do not require a prospective student to disclose their citizenship when requesting information about the school. Like UCO, the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma City University also ask for citizenship status when filling out their request info forms or mailing lists.
