NO LOANS FOR STUDENT DRUG OFFENDERS

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Students convicted of drug offenses will be barred from
receiving federal college tuition aid for one year and, in some cases,
permanently under rules taking effect next summer.

The regulations are based on a law enacted last year to reduce waste in the
student loan system. They do not apply to juvenile records, and some
students will be able to retain eligibility by completing drug
rehabilitation or by having their convictions overturned.

Students must report any drug convictions on forms for federal financial
aid, including Pell grants and student loans. Some student groups complain
that the new rules are counterproductive.

``It's kind of backward to deal with a drug policy by denying people an
education,'' said Jamie Pueschel, a 1998 college graduate who is now
legislative director of the Washington-based U.S. Student Association.

Justice Department officials say there's no database designating student
drug offenses, but a statement released by Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., cites a
University of Michigan study that said 33.5 percent of college students had
used illegal drugs in 1995.

A recent nationwide survey indicated that drug use among young adults ages
18 to 25 has risen in the last five years, with 16.1 percent, or 4.5
million, saying they were current users of an illegal drug, meaning they
had used the drug in the month before they were surveyed.

D. Jean Veta, the Education Department's deputy general counsel, had no
estimate for how many students the regulations could affect, but added:
``If we find out a student has lied, we not only require repayment of any
aid received, but the student would be at risk for prosecution for lying to
the federal government.

``We are very concerned about students being truthful about all aspects of
the financial aid application,'' Veta said.

Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., who unsuccessfully sought to limit the student
loan legislation, said such provisions could unfairly affect young people
who were not serious drug users.

``Obviously if someone is a drug dealer or a serious user, that is a reason
to say no,'' Frank said Monday. ``This kind of blanket ban is a mistake.''

Students for Sensible Drug Policy, which opposes the law, plans to meet in
Washington for a conference on that and other issues next month.

Under the regulations, which were released last Friday, a first possession
conviction will block aid for a year, while a sales conviction will bar aid
for two years. Students convicted of possessing drugs for a second time
will lose aid for two years; a third time, permanently. A student convicted
twice of selling drugs will lose aid permanently.

Colleges won't have to police their students. Instead, students will be
asked to report their own criminal records on aid forms subject to review
by federal officials. Students must complete forms in each year of
eligibility with other self-reported information such as income and
academic status, Veta said.

Convictions occurring after students apply for aid but before July 1, when
the rules take effect, may result in the loss of eligibility. For example,
a first drug-possession conviction Feb. 1 would make a student ineligible
for aid from July 1, 2000, until Feb. 1, 2001.