CAMPUS INSIDER: DON'T ASK

A movement to restore federal financial aid to students with drug
convictions got a boost last week, when the Advisory Committee on Student
Financial Aid -- an independent body established by Congress -- recommended
that students applying for federal aid no longer be asked about drug
convictions. The question, added to the FAFSA application five years ago,
has caused 157,000 students to be denied federal aid, according to the
Coalition for Higher Education Act Reform, which opposes the rule, along
with the American Council on Education, the National Association of Student
Financial Aid Administrators, and US Representative Barney Frank, a Newton
Democrat. "Mistakes young people made in the past should have no bearing on
their ability to succeed in the future," said Chris Mulligan, the
coalition's outreach director. Efforts to change the law in Congress, while
unsuccessful in the past, are expected to continue this year.