DRUG AND AID LINK CRITICIZED

For the last five years, current and hopeful UI students caught
toking up in their dorms, in a back alley, or at a Dave Matthews Band
concert could've lost their student aid - and 2,367 of them from Iowa did.

The Hawkeye state ranked 12th in the nation in terms of students
denied financial aid because of a drug conviction, according to a
report released by the Department of Education at the request of
Students for Sensible Drug Policy.

However, the student group and others say the accuracy of the numbers
- - which come from prospective students in the United States and
internationally - could be much higher because students can be
deterred from applying or will simply lie on the Free Application for
Federal Student Aid form.

"Dishonesty goes with the game when you are dealing with drugs," said
Christopher Randolph, a doctoral intern with the UI Counseling Service.

Randolph, who likened the government's program to a "lifetime
sentence," said drug-recovery programs often stress the importance of
telling the truth and being honest about the student's drug addiction.

"I think it would put a student who is recovering in quite a bind," he said.

While the Department of Education has no authority - or even a simple
mechanism to cross-check drug convictions - the federal financial aid
form states anyone giving "false or misleading" information could be
fined $20,000 and/or sent to prison.

However, some have proposed different types of changes.

"We in financial aid have long said [drug punishment] should not be
tied to whether or not the student should get financial aid," said
Cathy Wilcox, senior associate director of the Office of Student
Financial Aid. "It presents a hardship for people who want to better
themselves."

Wilcox's contention is one shared by Randolph.

"It seems a little harsh," he said, "especially when there are other options."

Randolph proposed a system of "probational financial aid," in which
the student with the conviction would still be eligible for
government funds but would be monitored to ensure they didn't abuse
again and received good grade.

"I'd like to see more a more rehabilitation aspect," he said.

In Iowa, 2,367 - or 0.259 percent - of applicants were denied
admittance out of a state pool of 915,034, over the past five years,
the report states.

The overall denial average for the same time frame is 0.246 percent,
with 189,065 of 74,784,347 applicants denied for past drug transgressions.

The state with the most denials was Indiana, at .500 percent. The
least was Vermont, at .118 percent.