STUDENTS PROTEST HIGHER EDUCATION ACT

When faced with question 28, "Have you been convicted of a drug offense?" on
the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), many students skipped
it in confusion. What many college students do not know is that the answer
to this question can determine wherther they will attend college or not.

In an effort to curb drug use, Congress passed the Higher Education Act of
1998, which in part states any student convicted of a drug offense will not
receive federal aid for college.

Jennifer Landis, the president of Mount Holyoke's new organization, Students
for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP), fears the Mount Holyoke campus is not
educated about this legislation.

"Most students don't even know there is a connection between drug offenses
and financial aid." Landis said.

This year, more than 200,000 students, almost 13% of students applying for
aid, left question 28 blank, according to the Accociated Press. These large
numbers forced government officials to wait until next year to suspend those
forms that did not provide an answer.

These sudents' confusion is not surprising, considering right now the law
cannot easily be implemented. For example, there is not national database
of drug offenders, making it often impossible for college's to dispute a
student's answer.

Also, the law is not clearly stated. While the legislation offers federal
aid to those offenders who have received "rehabilitation," it does not
specify what programs constitute "rehabilitation."

Beside these problematic aspects of the law, many students view the HEA as
unfair and non-beneficial to the war on drugs.

"It won't solve the drug problem," Landis said. "That takes treatment and
prevention and the HEA offers neither. Denying someone their education is
not going to help."

Carolyn Hyppolite, campus founder of the DRC, said "First, since only
students who qualify for financial aid are penalized, this policy
specifically targets low income students while failing to punish higher
income students who are guilty of the same crime. The act assures the
perpetuation of drug use. By removing students from college, the government
takes away an important incentive to steer clear of drugs."

Off campus, other Five-College groups are protesting the implications of the
HEA for marijuana smokers. Last week in Amherst, local elections were
bombarded with an energetic campaign by a UMass-led group, the Cannabis
Reform Coalition. Concerned about issues like the Higher Education Act,
students went door-to-door, collecting more than 3,000 signatures in support
of reversing laws that state it is a crime to possess marijuana.

"Out of all things a student can do -- rape, robbery and murder included,
the trend in U.S. laws in the past decade has been to target and severely
punish crimes as socially benign as the use of marijuana. There are
certainly worse problems in this country," Hyppolite said.

Like the SSDP, Hyppolite also feels that the SGA (Student Government
Association) should take a stand on the drug-portion of the Higher Education
Act.

As government officials work out the kink in the system, many college
students feel the government's time and effort is misdirected.

"Drug use shouldn't be a political pawn," Denise Goetsch said, "but the
national health problem that it is."