“Colleges have increasingly been doing criminal background checks,” Runyan said. “What we found is that you can’t predict which students are going to be the ones to get in trouble.”

If a student answers “yes” on their application to MSU, the criminal conduct committee determines whether the student could pose a threat to MSU’s community or themselves, MSU Director of Admissions James Cotter said.

If it is not deferred, it then moves on to the credential review of the application where a decision will be made. Minor offenses, such as trespassing or minor in possession, or MIP, charges, likely won’t make or break an admission decision, Cotter said. More severe crimes and repeat offenses don’t bode as well for applicants.

“I don’t think that getting an MIP necessarily says that you are going to be a troublemaker in college,” psychology and English senior Kasey Schregardus said. “If they’re harassing someone, if it’s armed robbery, or something a little bit more extreme … a (driving under the influence) would be something that needed to be taken into more consideration. I don’t think that petty crimes should be a huge issue.”

But the report suggests screening for a criminal background is not enough to accurately determine which students will commit crimes while on campus.

Cotter said admissions will be taking time to discuss the report and its findings in an upcoming review, though he doesn’t anticipate changes to current policy.

“Anytime you can gain information, that’s helpful,” Cotter said, adding MSU plans to continue asking applicants if they have been convicted of a crime. Cotter said MSU often is able to tell through references or the application if a student is lying.

Runyan said to remember colleges usually are safe, with the most common crimes typically being sexual harassment following the use of alcohol. She said she thinks it would make more sense to focus on this issue rather than screening out applicants with a history of crimes in high school.

Burglaries have been the most common campus crime at MSU in the past three years, with 77 reported on campus and 55 of those in residence halls in 2011, according to MSU’s 2012 annual police report. Forcible sex offenses came in second, with 15 reported on campus, 13 of which were reported in residential facilities in 2011.

Some of the bigger cases of campus crime and violence that have taken place, such as the shooting at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 2007, were committed by students who did not have a criminal history before college, Runyan said.

At this point, she said more research needs to be done before deciding what will provide clues to which applicants pose an actual threat to college campuses.

“I’m not at the point of concluding that colleges should never screen, but we don’t have enough evidence to prove that this is a good strategy to reduce violence on campus,” Runyan said. “It’s not the answer and may not be worth doing.”