The University of Virginia is requiring students to report whether they have been arrested in order to register for classes, university officials announced Friday.
U-Va. is clamping down on student arrests after senior lacrosse player George Huguely V was detained in May on first-degree murder charges for the death of his former girlfriend and fellow student, Yeardley Love.
The school was unaware that Huguely, 22, had an arrest record — including one incident in 2008 where he drunkenly threatened to kill a female police officer. School officials say if Huguely had reported the arrests, he likely would have been suspended or expelled.
U-Va. has required students to report arrests since 2004, but officials say the new rule is a more “active” approach mandating a written, signed statement prior to each registration period.
Students who report arrests will not be barred from registering.
