QUESTION ON FINANCIAL FORM STIRS PROTEST

Query Seeks To Make Those Convicted Of Drug Offenses Ineligible For Aid

To judge by the numbers, Question 28 on the federal financial aid
application has had little impact on the millions of students seeking money
for college - 1,140 of nearly 8 million applicants were denied aid because
of it this year.

But that question - which asks whether a student has been convicted of any
drug-related offense - is drawing an indignant response from some campus
administrators and student groups who view the provision as punitive.

"Why do you pull out a group of students - those who need money - and then
keep them from getting the very thing that may help them?" asked Ellen
Frishburg, director of student financial services at the Johns Hopkins
University.

The little-known Question 28 is among the numerous eligibility queries on
the Free Application for Federal Student Aid Form, and was added to the
form under the Higher Education Act of 1998 under a proposal from Rep. Mark
E. Souder, an Indiana Republican.

Souder sponsored the measure to prevent students from using drugs while
receiving federal aid, said his spokeswoman, Angela K. Flood.

"If you are using or selling drugs, you are not taking advantage of the
taxpayers' money," Flood said.

She added that another component of the legislation was to identify
students who have drug problems and ensure that they receive treatment.

Although Souder had intended the bill to apply only to those students
receiving aid, Flood said, the wording of the legislation was vague and
resulted in the current Question 28, which penalizes students for any drug
conviction.

Souder, who has voiced disappointment with the provision's first year, is
pushing a legislative change that would bar aid to any student who leaves
the question blank on the application - as nearly 10 percent of applicants
did this year.

Supporters and opponents agree that the provision has had little effect on
financial aid recipients.

At Hopkins, five of the 8,250 students who filled out the FAFSA form could
have been affected.

None of those five enrolled, Frishburg said, so it cannot be determined
whether any of them would have lost aid because of their answers to
Question 28. One hundred-twenty students did not answer the question.

College administrators are not required to check whether students answered
honestly, and this year did not have to seek answers from the hundreds of
thousands of students who left the question blank.

Some academics criticize the decision to single out drug convictions on the
financial aid application, while students who have been convicted of other
offenses, such as rape and murder, remain eligible for federal financial aid.

Some also question the validity of using a financial threat to address drug
problems on campus. Most colleges have policies that specify the
consequences if students use drugs, and provide counseling for students who
do. Often, schools treat drug offenses as medical issues. Opponents argue
that the policy applies to a certain group of students: those who cannot
afford full tuition.

"It certainly adds another level of consequence," said Susan K. Boswell,
the Hopkins dean of students. "But it is one that is not evenly distributed
around students, since not all students are receiving aid. It's not an
equally enforceable policy."

Boswell said Hopkins has a drug-prevention program, and that the university
has witnessed a decrease in the number of students hospitalized for
intoxication. She said the university treats student drug problems
primarily as a medical issue.

Student advocacy groups, such as the United States Student Association and
U.S. PIRG, have spoken against Souder's provision.

In a position paper, the USSA states: "We find these measures to be
punitive and counterintuitive to the goal of helping students."

The U.S. Department of Education has come out against an amendment that
would deny aid to those who do not answer the question, saying such a
provision would be unwise.

For now, Question 28 appears to have permanent residence on the federal
financial aid form.

"It's political," Frishburg said. "It's 'apple pie and motherhood.' It's
very hard to stand up there and say we want students who have been
convicted of drug abuses to get federal financial aid."