NO FINANCIAL AID FOR DRUG VIOLATORS

Federal drug policies are hindering students' chances of receiving
financial aid, which is raising questions from state legislators and
students as to why these policies still exist.

According to the FBI's Uniform Crime Report, 829,625 people were
arrested for marijuana violations in 2006. Out of those people, 89
percent were charged with marijuana possession only. Meanwhile,
NORML.org says 18-24 year-olds comprised about 40 percent of all drug
arrests in 2002.

The majority of people who are convicted of a marijuana violation are
charged with one of the lesser offenses, and a large percentage of
those convicted fall into the college age group.

One of the processes of obtaining financial aid from the government is
to complete the FAFSA form, which is required from every student. In
recent years, the integrity of this form has been questioned, due to
its "vague biased-ness," said University of Massachusetts Financial
Aid Services Director Kenneth Burnham.

For example, question 31 asks, "Have you been convicted for the
possession or sale of illegal drugs for an offense that occurred while
you were receiving federal student aid?" As a result of this question,
an estimated 175,000 students convicted of certain drug offenses are
denied federal financial aid for college each year.

State House Representative for Massachusetts Barney Frank has become
outspoken on the opposition of the FAFSA.

"The law is unfair and discriminatory, because it only causes
difficulties for lower income students," Frank said. "While I don't
condone illegal drug use, I disagree with the idea of using the
federal financial aid system to punish people who have been convicted
of relatively minor drug convictions."

The opposition felt by Frank is shared with Burnham.

"Anything that gets in the way of students obtaining the aid they
need, we do not promote or support it," Burnham said. "All that the
University can do is just abide by the regulations set by the federal
government."

When asked if there were strong possibilities for a change in the
FAFSA, Burnham replied "It appears now that question thirty-one will
stand, unless there is a change in administration."

Not only are political figures and highly positioned people finding
flaws with the current FAFSA, students are also banning together in
the hopes of making some changes. Groups such as Students for a
Sensible Drug Policy are making worthy attempts to amend the radical
policies.

For being a student ran organization, SSDP has reached significant
goals with their amount of knowledge and their nationwide support.
They have managed to mobilize student activists to reform campuses and
local and state drug policies.

Recently, SSDP budged Congress to scale back the Higher Education Act
Aid Elimination Penalty, which prevents students with drug convictions
from receiving financial aid. The lobby helped make it possible for
students who are convicted of a marijuana violation while taking time
off from college to still receive financial aid.

Chapters affiliated with SSDP are growing across the nation. SSDP is
constantly campaigning. It encourages individual or group support
everywhere. Currently, there is no SSDP chapter at UMass.