EASING OF DRUG RULES CONSIDERED

The U.S. Department of Education may revamp the way it interprets and
enforces a federal law that bars student aid to applicants who have been
convicted of drug sales or possession.

Under the 1998 law, a part of the reauthorization of the Higher Education
Act, close to 40,000 college students with drug convictions could lose
student-loan eligibility this fall.

The department is considering softening the statute by applying it only to
those students who had drug offenses while in college, rather than
convictions before they started school.

Rep. Mark Souder, the Indiana Republican who wrote the original law, now is
leading the charge to limit its scope. He has been meeting with Education
Department officials in recent weeks about reducing the effect of the law
on students.

"We are confident that this is gong to happen and they are going to change
the way the regulation is enforced," said Seth Becker, Mr. Souder's press
secretary.

"It really goes back to his basic philosophical and religious beliefs," Mr.
Becker said of the congressman's initiative. "He's an evangelical and he
really believes in the concept of redemption. For him to look at the
regulation and see that someone who has made mistakes in the past but has
completely turned their lives around is still being denied federal aid --
it goes against his fundamental beliefs."

Mr. Souder has said that under his interpretation, the statute was meant to
apply to students who committed drug offenses while they were receiving
federal money for their education, not before.

Jane Glickman, a spokeswoman for the Education Department, confirmed
yesterday that discussions with Mr. Souder were continuing, but said no
agreement on changes had been reached.

"We don't have any projected date or time frame about changing the drug
regulation at this time," Miss Glickman said. In April, the Education
Department announced it was cracking down on enforcement of the student aid
law, which first took effect last year.

It was largely ignored under the Clinton administration amid concerns that
the wording of the law was confusing and that the workload of investigating
would hold up aid to those students who legitimately qualified. The law
applies to federal grants, work study funds and student loans.

At the behest of Congress, Education Department officials earlier this year
changed the wording on the student loan application that asked students
about prior drug offenses.

Students who declined to answer the question and left it blank on the form,
the department warned, would be immediately dropped from aid consideration.

Those students who were able to demonstrate that they had successfully
completed drug-rehabilitation programs, however, could retain their aid
eligibility, the department said. Students who admit on the forms that they
have drug convictions can complete a follow-up worksheet that allows them
to explain their circumstances.

Close to 280,000 students left the drug-offense question blank on the
2000-01 application, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education, which
first reported the department's negotiations with Mr. Souder.

The current law states that student-aid eligibility will be revoked for one
year for a first-time drug conviction and two years for a second
conviction. A third drug conviction would disqualify a student for federal
aid indefinitely.