EX-ADDICTS GETTING SCHOLARSHIPS

LUBBOCK, Texas - Four years ago, Adrian Corral sat in a dank
prison, wracked by convulsions from cocaine withdrawal and filled with
thoughts of hanging himself with a bedsheet. He survived his four-year
sentence for drug dealing only because he lacked the nerve to kill
himself.

Now Corral, 34, is going to college under a program at Texas Tech
University that gives recovering addicts scholarships for staying
clean, getting good grades and attending recovery meetings.

It may be the first program of its kind in the nation.

The addicts-to-scholars program, started four years ago at the Texas
Tech Center for Addiction Studies, rewards participants regardless of
their previous academic careers.

Corral, who had only a high school education, is getting a bachelor's
degree and hopes to attend medical school and become a
pathologist.

``I wanted to be a part of law enforcement and I realize that I can't
do that because of my history,'' he said. ``But at least this way I
can be a part of the process.''

Dr. Carl Andersen, director of the center and himself a recovering
alcoholic, founded the program.

``This isn't a situation where you've got someone in charge who
doesn't know what he is dealing with,'' said Andersen, who carries in
his pocket a golden medallion inscribed ``16'' for the number of years
he has been sober.

``I was going to lose my wife and family and everything that meant
anything to me,'' he said. ``Now I'm giving others the chance to save
their lives.''

To get in, participants must show that they have been in drug or
alcohol rehab for at least a year. That, a high school diploma or
equivalency degree and Andersen's faith are the only requirements for
acceptance into the program, which admits around 100 undergraduates
each year.

The scholarship money comes from private sources, including
rehabilitation groups and former students who are in recovery.

``I've never heard of a program like that and I like the idea,'' said
Dr. Herbert Klebert, former U.S. deputy drug czar and director of
Columbia University's Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse.
Officials at the National Association of Colleges were also unaware of
any similar rehab program.

The amount of money a student gets depends on the participant's
grades: a 4.0 grade-point average earns $2,000 per semester, a 3.5 is
worth $1,500, a 3.0 gets $1,000 for a 3.0, and a 2.5 earns $500.
Participants have to pay the rest of their expenses. Tuition and fees
at Texas Tech are typically $2,500 per semester.

Anything less than a 2.5 GPA and students can be kicked out of the
program. They also can be removed for poor attendance at class or
recovery meetings.

``I have deans sometimes tell me that I'm being too hard on
students,'' Andersen said. ``But one of the first signs of a reversion
back to a substance is tardiness or absence from scheduled events.''

Andersen said only 5 percent of participants have reverted to drug or
alcohol abuse. The National Substance Abuse Institute says 54 percent
of all abusers in recovery programs nationwide backslide.

Nearly as impressive is the participants' overall GPA of 3.67,
compared with a 3.42 for Tech undergraduates.

Bob Weiner, spokesman for White House drug czar Barry McCaffrey,
called the program ``enlightened.''

``The program keeps them out of crime,'' Weiner said. ``Programs like
these are in the public interest. How can anyone be against that?''

University officials call Andersen ``cutting-edge'' and ``visionary.''
But Andersen said the president of the university at the time laughed
when he first proposed the idea.

``He funneled a bunch of people my way that said stuff like, 'I've got
a son who has never touched a drug in his life and he can't get
scholarship money,''' Andersen recalled. ```Why should we give it to
someone who has been snorting cocaine? And do we really want people
like that on campus?''' Andersen acknowledged: ``I live in horrible
fear that one day, one of these students will do something to
embarrass or bring down the program.'' After all, many of the 600
students who have been in the program have prison records, some for
violent crimes.

But he said the opportunity to give addicts a second chance is worth
the risk.

``You have to help people build something that is worth not
destroying,'' Andersen said. ``These aren't people who are dumb or
don't have a brain. They've just burned every possible bridge and
won't be able to break the cycle unless someone, somewhere takes a
chance on them.''

Because none of Andersen's students has gotten into serious trouble --
most, in fact, are older than 25 and live off campus -- many parents
are unaware of the program. Several Tech students said they have no
problem with recovering addicts getting scholarships.

``The truth is that at Tech, many students are Christian and believe
in giving a person another chance,'' said Brent Jacobs, 19. ``There
but for the grace of God go I.''