CONTROVERSY CONTINUES OVER DRUG POLICY

A federal policy passed in 1998 excluding students convicted of drug
related offenses from federal financial aid awards went into effect this
year, causing indignation and calls for change from students across the
nation. The policy, placed at the end of the Higher Education Act,
stipulates that students convicted of drug possession offenses are not
eligible for federal financial aid for one year after their conviction.

A second possession offense results in a two-year disqualification and a
third indefinitely excludes the student from federal aid awards, including
grants, loans and work-study stipends.

"This policy doesn't give at-risk kids an opportunity to change," said
Jacob Davis, head of the UW-Madison Students for a Sensible Drug Policy
finance committee. "The people convicted of these offenses are the same
ones that need to be given a legitimate opportunity to advance themselves.
Higher education is a way for them to do that."

Davis said he was also concerned with what he sees as an unfair focus on
drug offenders.

"The policy singles out drug users - even those who have turned their lives
around," he said. "You can be convicted of rape, robbery or arson and still
get financial aid, but drug users are disqualified."

One of the policy's main proponents, Rep. Mark Souder, R-Ind., remains
dedicated to the implementation of the policy. In the issues statement on
the politician's website, Souder said he "continues to aggressively push
the Clinton Education Department to enforce this provision, because he
believes that college students should not ask taxpayers to subsidize their
educations if they are selling or using drugs."

Davis argues that the new law has many drawbacks.

"You have students being punished twice for the same crime," he said.
"Also, the policy disproportionately hurts lower-class students because
higher-class drug users are not in need of financial aid. Furthermore,
there's a large disparity in the number of people of color arrested for
drug related offenses, so the policy hurts people of color more than whites."

Although the policy is currently in effect, students, nationally and
internationally, are working to have it repealed.

The Coalition for Higher Education Act Reform's website,
www.raiseyourvoice.com, includes a petition calling for an end to the
policy, information about its effects and a list of student governments
supporting them, including that of UW.

UW administration, however, is intent on following governmental instruction.

"It's the law," said Vice Chancellor Paul Barrows. "We just want to be legal."

Susan Fischer, associate director of Financial Aid, said UW had about a
dozen students with prior drug convictions submit free applications for
federal student aid, or FAFSA forms, this year. Also, the question
regarding the policy on the FAFSA form was unclear, she said.

"The wording of the question was confusing," Fischer said. "We had some
students mistakenly say they had been convicted and many others left the
space blank. It created quite a hubbub."

Nationally, 9,000 individuals have been excluded from financial aid awards
and hundreds of thousands of students left the space blank, Davis said.

"People working in financial aid offices hate [the policy]," he said. "It
was a big problem — some offices had to hire extra staff just to process
the one question. It caused quite a strain on the system."

Fischer said UW has little say in the matter.

"My personal opinion doesn't matter," she said. "Congress gets to control
the funds and this seems to be the will of Congress. However, I have a
difficult time when they tie things not related to financial aid to
financial aid."