CONGRESS EXAMINES DRUG OFFENDER AID

New Proposal Will Only Give Aid If Not Convicted in College

A new proposal being considered in the U.S. Congress could change a
provision in the Higher Education Act that denies federal aid to
students convicted of drug offenses.

A new study requested by Rep. Robert Scott, D-Va., to examine the
provision could not support the claim that the provision deterred drug use.

"I knew about [the provision] when I got caught; it just wasn't a
deterrent," said ISU student Ryan Starcevic, sophomore in marketing.

Early one morning in the summer of 2003, Starcevic and three of his
friends were caught smoking marijuana next to Lake LaVerne.

"We figured it was late and not a very big deal," Starcevic said. "We
didn't think there would be any problems."

Because Starcevic has been convicted of a drug-related offense, he is
no longer eligible for federal financial aid because of a provision
in the Higher Education Act.

The act, introduced in 1998 by Rep. Mark Souder, R-Ind., is being
reconsidered by Congress, providing organizations a chance to draw
attention to this provision.

According to a new proposal to both the House and the Senate,
financial aid would only be denied to students with convictions during college.

Any previous convictions do not count against the student.

After the "marking-up stage" in both houses of Congress, two versions
of the proposal resulted.

The Senate's version states that if a person is convicted of dealing
drugs, the student's financial aid will be revoked, while the House
version would deny aid for those convicted of both dealing and possession.

"The most difficult thing about getting this done is that Congress
has been putting off the reauthorization of the Higher Education
Act," said Erik Cooke, legislative director for Students for a
Sensible Drug Policy, a student organization started to provide
information on the harms of the war on drugs.

Cooke said SSDP started in response to this provision, and has been
working to change it ever since.

Each of the 115 chapters that now exist across the country is doing
its own part to get the provision repealed. Iowa State does not have a chapter.

"This is all really thanks to the student activities across the
country," Cooke said.

He said the students have been holding events, writing letters and
meeting with Congress, among other things.

Patrick McCarthy, president of ISU NORML, an organization working to
reform marijuana laws, said his organization "feels it is unnecessary
for students to lose aid because of drugs."

"Whether someone smokes marijuana doesn't mean they're not doing well
in their education and not deserving of federal funds," he said.

The only proponent to the provision is its author, Cooke said.

"He's kind of a lone voice," he said.