A NEW DRUG BATTLE

Compromise Best On FAFSA

"Have you ever been convicted of possessing or selling illegal
drugs?"

This is a common question on applications of all kinds, especially for
college students who are asked to answer it when applying to a
university, for campus or off-campus housing, for any kind of job with
their university, and for federal financial aid to lower college costs.

A special committee created by Congress might be changing an aspect of
this process. The committee was created to research possible ways in
which students could receive more money when filling out the FAFSA.
One solution that the committee has come up with is eliminating the
drug question, which disqualifies students who have had a drug-related
offense within the past one to two years from receiving federal aid.

The use of this question on the FAFSA stirs up controversy.

Many feel that being disqualified prevents those who are already stuck
in a world of drugs from ever getting out. To them, eliminating the
question offers low-income individuals who need the aid but have had
drug problems to overcome the conditions they live in and turn their
lives around.

Others disagree, falling back on the idea that students who have
refrained from using drugs deserve to be rewarded for doing so.

Perhaps a compromise of sorts is what would work best.

At The Lantern, we propose a system that looks at each application on
a case-by-case basis. We would like the question to remain on the
FAFSA, but in answering yes, applicants would be asked to explain
their situation to a committee that would evaluate various aspects -
background, location, upbringing, etc. - and based on these aspects,
applicants could be placed into a sliding scale that granted differing
amounts of aid.

In these evaluations, timing and number of convictions would be a
significant determining factor.

This system would be similar to the system used by many employers to
evaluate the significance of criminal charges future employees may
have. Applicants are asked to explain what crime they have committed
and the situation surrounding the incident. Employers base whether
they hire the individual on a number of aspects, including whether the
crime was classified as a felony or a misdemeanor and how pertinent
the crime would be in their working environment.

In applying a similar system to the FAFSA, many aspects of an
applicant's life could be evaluated and combined to more fairly
distribute federal aid to students that need it the most. Taxpayers
could rest assured that their money is being used to support students
who truly want an education and have shown they are willing to work
for one.