MARIJUANA LEADS TO LOSS OF FINANCIAL AID FOR STUDENTS

Students Convicted of Marijuana Violations by Local Police Stand to
Lose Federal Financial Aid

Students nationwide may find the price of their everyday marijuana
joint increasing to three-figures, or however much they are receiving
in financial aid.

The Drug Offender Exclusionary Provision of the Higher Education Act
can declare students ineligible for financial aid if they have been
convicted of possession or sale of a controlled substance. Students
are denied aid for one year if they have one conviction, two years if
they have two convictions, and indefinitely after the third offense.

The Higher Education Act, signed by President Johnson in 1965, was
originally meant to make college more realistic for middle-class and
lower income students. The penalty for drug charges wasn't added to
the HEA until 1998, and now many find it contradictory to what the
law was originally intended to do.

Students for a Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP), an international network
of students who aim to fight unjust drug policies, believe that the
penalty hurts the middle class and lower-income students because they
cannot afford to pay for college without aid, whereas rich students
who have their aid revoked have other payment options. The SSDP
argues that because of lack of aid students are forced to drop out of
school, which only encourages drug use.

"Kicking people out of school and denying them an education, that's
just going to increase drug abuse," said Bill Piper, director of
national affairs for the Drug Policy Alliance.

Nearly 200,000 students have lost their financial aid under the HEA
penalty, which doesn't revoke aid for higher crimes such as rape,
murder or robbery. "Everybody makes mistakes," Katrina Watson, a
sophomore and University tour guide, said. "Unless they're going to
take aid away from everyone caught doing anything illegal, they
shouldn't focus on kids caught with pot."

At the University, when students are caught with possession or
distribution of marijuana, or even if there is only a strong odor
that indicates that the drug was in the room, public safety issues
them a summons and reports them to the Dean of Students. The student
then has to go to a hearing with the Office of Community Standards,
where they determine the sanction based on the student's prior
disciplinary record. Sanctions range from warnings and educational
seminars for first time offenders, to suspension and expulsion for
repeat violations.

In 2006, 146 University students were issued judicial referrals, 123
of them occurring in dorms. Four arrests were made on campus last
year for drug related transgressions.

However, Cheryl Betz, assistant dean of students, said that the
financial aid office has nothing to do with the dean of students and
that any summonses students receive for drugs on campus cannot affect
their aid because of the confidentiality agreement. Betz is not
allowed to discuss a student's record or transgressions with any
other department. "I don't have the right to share that confidential
file with anyone, not even their parents," Betz said.

Only students who have been convicted by the Nassau County court
system can have their aid revoked.

"It's not fair for other students to be overlooked for aid when the
students who receive it use drugs," said sophomore Sara Cauvin.

SSDP celebrated in February 2006 when Congress changed the law so
that it only revoked financial aid for those receiving it when
convicted. The original law claimed that a drug conviction negated
any federal financial aid regardless of whether or not the person was
enrolled in school and receiving aid.