DRUG USE MAY HINDER SCHOOL AID

Some Virginia Tech students may find it more difficult to receive financial
aid as a result of drug use.

A previous law denying aid to students with drug convictions who have not
completed rehabilitation is being enforced under the Bush Administration.

Barry Simmons, director of scholarships and financial aid at Tech, said the
Bush Administration is re-emphasizing the law after evaluating programs of
the Clinton Administration.

"Bush is sort of turning up the heat," he said.

Simmons said the law was passed in 1998 as part of the popular movement
against drug abuse.
"The Department of Education has been trying to devise the least painless
way to implement (the law)," he said. Simmons said students are asked about
their prior drug convictions on the Free Application for Federal Student
Aid, the form required of all students who wish to receive federal aid
college for education.

John Robertson, the attorney for Student Legal Services at Tech, said
convictions in violation of the Controlled Substances Act would cause a
student to be denied aid. This would include possession or selling of any
narcotic that is non-alcoholic or is not from a prescription, he said.
Robertson said the law was not fully enforced previously because students
were skipping the question.

"The problem that was occurring before was that (applicants) were leaving
that blank," he said.

If students answer "yes" to any of the questions they are asked to fill out
a worksheet detailing the conviction and any rehabilitation they have been
through, Simmons said.

Now forms where people skip the question will not be processed, he said. He
said students can become eligible for aid again after approved
rehabilitation programs have been completed. "Its not that they're totally
barred," he said.

Robertson said a criminal background check can be performed on applicants
who leave the question blank.

It is legal for the government to screen financial aid applicants, he
said. "You don't have to take the
federal government's money," he said. "They have the ability to put certain
restrictions on that money as long as the restrictions are lawful."

Simmons said he does not think the law is an effective deterrent for doing
drugs and is not a good measure of eligibility for financial assistance.

"(The law) really doesn't have a whole lot to do with (the question), 'Is a
student financially and academically appropriate to pursue an education?'"
he said.

The financial aid office must already screen students for citizenship and
whether they have signed up for Selective Service which makes the financial
aid process very complicated and time consuming, he said.

Robertson and Simmons both said there have been no controversies or
problems with the law at Tech.

The law is a bigger deal in schools that draw students from a more urban
setting, Simmons said.

"I think where this is really going cause a problem is not at an
institution like Tech," he said. "Our student body is considered more
traditional."

Simmons said the topic is still developing and the law may be subjected to
change in the future.

Daniel Donborwski, a sophomore management science major, said he thinks the
law might hold back some people who are trying to improve their lives
through education and have not had access to rehabilitation.

He said although the law might not be fair, the government has the right to
restrict aid. Jonathan Malwitz, a senior chemical engineering major, said
the law seems appropriate but it is not necessarily fair.

"When you choose to use drugs you have to be aware of the consequences," he
said.

Malwitz said he thinks students would tend to lie on the FAFSA. "It would
be hard not to, realizing you have to go through all that (paperwork)," he
said.

Katherine Yang, a junior biochemistry major, said she thinks the financial
aid system is already complicated, and it may not be very efficient for the
financial aid office to be checking on students' records.

"I think it (focuses) too much into (students') private lives," she said.