COALITION CALLS FOR REPEAL OF LAW THAT DENIES FINANCIAL AID TO DRUG OFFENDERS

Lawmakers, education lobbyists, and other groups rallied here on Tuesday to
call for the repeal of a law that denies federal financial aid to students
who have been convicted of drug offenses. They rejected as inadequate a
compromise measure, proposed by the author of the original law, that would
soften but not eliminate the ban.

This month, a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee that oversees
postsecondary education is expected to introduce a bill that would deny
financial aid only to those who are convicted of drug violations while in
college, not to those who were convicted before they enrolled. Rep. Mark
Souder, an Indiana Republican who sponsored the original law, is pushing
for that change because he says he never intended to deny aid to those who
are seeking to "redeem" themselves by going to college.

But the Coalition for Higher Education Act Reform, which organized the
rally, is not supporting Mr. Souder's measure. In a statement before
Tuesday's rally, the group's officials called the proposed change
"laudable" but said that it does not deal with "the extremely serious
education and discrimination concerns that we have." Contending that the
drug rule has denied financial aid to 80,000 students since it went into
effect in 2000, a number of Congressional speakers -- all House Democrats
- -- backed its repeal; legislation that would repeal the law, HR 786, has
already been introduced on the House floor by Rep. Barney Frank, a
Massachusetts Democrat.

The coalition includes groups like the American Civil Liberties Union, the
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the
Congressional Black Caucus, the United States Student Association, and the
National Education Association.

At Tuesday's rally, critics of the law attacked it on a variety of grounds.
Some said it reeked of racial profiling, while others said it contradicts
the biblical tenets of forgiveness and charity. Rep. Robert E. Andrews, a
New Jersey Democrat, characterized the law as "unwise and unjust," adding
that it "abandons two of the most important principles I thought we had in
American society: redemption and local control." Mr. Andrews called the
drug rule an "economic death sentence" and said, "I'm glad that kind of
redemption doesn't apply to Congress. Our offices would be empty."

The government should give drug offenders "a second chance -- give them a
first chance -- so they're not back on the corner hauling dime-bags of
crack and blow," said Rep. Danny K. Davis, an Illinois Democrat.

Caton S. Volk, a 21-year-old college dropout living in Chicago, offered his
own life's testimony. Mr. Volk attended the University of Illinois at
Chicago during the fall of 2000 -- his first and only semester so far.
Because of his mother's sudden unemployment, his family could no longer
afford to send him to college, and a 1998 drug provision kept him from
receiving financial aid. (Mr. Volk was convicted of possessing marijuana
with intent to deliver while he was in high school.) He has since paid a
$1,500 fine, completed a two-year probation, performed punitive community
service, and passed several drug tests; he is currently working as a
documentary filmmaker in Chicago and New York, and hopes to attend New
York University's film school.

In an interview after the rally, Mr. Volk expressed none of the regret or
repentance that his Congressional supporters suggested was common among
drug offenders. He condemned the "questionable" tactics used by the "overly
ambitious" police officers in his hometown of Naperville, Ill., alleging
that "they did illegal things to obtain the warrant" they used in their
raid of his home. "It was a mistake, but it was just growing up," Mr. Volk
said of his crime. "I wouldn't say it's a regret. I wouldn't say I've
repented, but I've moved on," he continued. "Adults make mistakes."