Selective education

Ex-drug users should receive financial aid

Increased emphasis placed on the importance of attaining a higher education is constantly contradicted with obstacles, be it on the basis of race, gender or specific qualifications. This time, the targets are past drug offenders.

Last Thursday, the U.S. Department of Education passed a regulation that will prohibit students who had been convicted of drug-related crimes from receiving financial aid for college. Taking effect July 1, convicted students will be ineligible to receive such awards as Pell Grants and student loans depending on the severity and number of offenses.

One conviction of drug possession will hinder a student's receipt of financial aid for one year. Two convictions will prevent assistance for two years and a third count disqualifies the student indefinitely. One conviction of drug dealing will obstruct a student's eligibility for financial aid for two years. More than two convictions will indefinitely deny assistance.

Qualification for financial assistance will be reinstated if the student participates in and completes a rehabilitation program.

But the law provides that even the possession of marijuana can disqualify a student from receiving aid, and many health professionals do not think physical marijuana addiction is possible, essentially making the policy useless.

Such a regulation is well on its way to deterring many students from receiving higher education.

Students are expected to report their convictions honestly on their college applications, since criminal records cannot be cross-referenced by the Department of Education. Students caught misrepresenting information on financial aid forms will face felony charges.

Many students formerly convicted of drug possession or dealing turn their lives around by applying for financial aid to attend college. Such a law will frighten and deter them from applying for financial assistance, which ultimately could thwart them from applying to college altogether.

In addition, this bill directly affects the socially and economically disadvantaged. Every drug user is not poor, but people without adequate funds to pay for a college education will suffer more than others.

While curbing the continuously rising use of drugs among teenagers is important, scare tactics notoriously result in failure. Students will be deterred from the college application process, rather than be inspired to turn over a new leaf. Chances are, their submission of an application is the first step in changing their lives.

Penalizing them for a possibly minor drug conviction from a few years before is a ludicrous method of drug reform, not to mention unfair. Whatever happened to the doctrine of learning from mistakes?

This bill has many glitches. Strong oppositions exist not only among students, but also police officials and many committee members of the Department of Education. This rule would not only hurt prospective college students who made a mistake a few years ago, but it will prevent the nation's colleges and universities from enrolling the most academically qualified students.

11-01-99