STUDENT LOAN POLICY UNFAIR

(U-WIRE) NORMAN, Okla. -- Back in 1998, a Republican lawmaker tacked an
amendment onto the Higher Education Act that banned students with drug
convictions from receiving federal financial aid.

The ban first took effect for the 2000-2001 school year. Students convicted
of any drug offense who replied truthfully on their application were denied
financial aid. However, the Clinton administration did not, in most cases,
deny aid to those who left the question blank.

But now the Bush administration plans to fully enforce the policy, which
also would deny aid to those who leave the question blank. We realize that
enforcing the law is what the executive branch must do, but we strenuously
object to the law in the first place, and we support the efforts of Rep.
Barney Frank, D-Mass., to repeal it.

The reasons we object to the law are simple. First, it discriminates
against the poor. Poor kids and rich kids alike do drugs. But only poor
kids are going to need financial aid for college. A rich kid caught with
meth isn't affected by the policy. A poor kid caught smoking pot is
possibly denied a college education. This could only widen the ever-growing
gulf between rich and poor in this country as fewer and fewer poor kids get
the skills they need to survive in today's job market.

Secondly, it is stupid to punish kids convicted of drug offenses by denying
them a chance at a college education. How will they turn their lives
around? Won't their drug problems most likely get worse? Would the
government rather pay for more college students now, or more prisoners
later on?

The answer, to judge from the government's actions, is the latter. We now
imprison a higher percent of our population than any other country in the
world, and most are jailed for drug offenses. The drug war is foolish in
all its incarnations, but this particular policy is utterly senseless.
Congress should repeal it as soon as possible.