SOUDER OFF BASE WITH HEA DRUG PROVISION 'FIX'

In his struggle to preserve the lion's share of the Higher Education Act's
ban on federal financial aid to students with even minor drug convictions,
Rep. Mark Souder (R-Ind.) is touting his evangelical Christian background
as evidence of the compassion of his proposed "fix" and the general
righteousness of the Act's extremely controversial "drug provision." His
logic should leave Christians of all denominations perplexed.

Congressman Souder's interpretation of Christian values with regard to this
issue is bewildering to persons with even a basic understanding of the
gospel of Jesus Christ. After being raised in and confirmed by the Roman
Catholic Church, attending nine years of catechism classes, being named an
Acolyte of Honor and studying the Bible while an undergrad, I am left with
the distinct impression that Jesus Christ would not punish students by
denying them an education, thus a brighter future. What's more is that
because offending students have already served their time, performed
community service, or paid their fines, the "drug provision" punishes them
twice or three times for the same offense, clearly not a Christian thing to do.

Strangely, Rep. Souder wants to continue denying aid to students even
though study after study proves that persons who attend college use drugs
less and have lower rates of drug addiction than those who do not attend or
cannot afford to complete their educations. And, judges and university
officials already possess the power to strip drug offending students of
financial aid if they believe it is proper, and federal aid is
automatically cut off to students who do not meet certain educational
standards.

Considering his compassionate teachings, it is hard for me to believe that
Jesus Christ would advocate that such a monumental decision should be
zero-tolerance and left in the hands of Washington bureaucrats, especially
when competent individuals most vested in the student's future have already
made an educated, local decision in the best interest of everyone.

As chairman of the House Government Reform Subcommittee on Criminal
Justice, Drug Policy, and Human Resources, Congressman Souder is well-aware
that our nation's drug laws disproportionately affect minorities at the
arrest, conviction, and sentencing stages even though drug use rates are
essentially the same for all races. The HEA's "drug provision" and Souder's
proposed "fix" work against the very people the Act was created to help,
the economically-deprived and underprivileged minority communities. Is
there any doubt what Jesus would have to say about the inherent preference
shown to wealthier, disproportionately-white students who are not affected
by Mr. Souder's law?

To date, the "drug provision" has denied aid to more than 140,000 college
students, or more than 2,800 people for each state. This law has negatively
impacted just about every community in this country. Clearly, the teachings
of Jesus Christ do not support the widespread denial of educational
opportunity to a certain class of people who have already atoned.

How could a devout Christian like Mr. Souder, who I believe cares deeply
about students, take such an unenlightened stance? If one looks at his
record, it is clear that he allowed his well-known, ardent drug policy
philosophy to inform him about what is best for education policy. It is one
thing for him to advocate taking a hard line on major drug dealers, but
another to strip low- and middle-income students of their means to an
education after their debt to society has already been paid.

When fighting the war on drugs, Rep. Souder should be careful to not let
disadvantaged students become casualties, and refrain from insinuating that
the teachings of Jesus Christ support unjust, prejudiced policies.

Fortunately, there is still time for him to see the light and end this
illogical, harmful crusade. I invite Congressman Souder to join the United
Methodist Church, the Presbyterian Church, the Association of Jesuit
Colleges and Universities, and the more than 70 other major national and
state organizations representing the education, public health, criminal
justice, and civil rights fields in support of full repeal of the HEA's
"drug provision."