19-05-2025
Against the ‘Precrime' Police
Alison Leigh Cowan suggests that college admissions officers ask a series of questions beginning with: 'Is it ever justified to . . .' ('How Colleges Can Weed Out Lawbreakers,' op-ed, May 16). That could work, but there's a simpler way. If colleges would actually punish students who 'pull a fire alarm . . . to protest a speaker' or expel a student for 'destroying a mezuza on someone's door,' such behavior would end or at least be markedly reduced. Admissions officers should focus on accepting students who can do the work and add value to the community rather than trying to stop crime before it happens à la 'Minority Report.'
Michael Leb
