UNLV JOINS PUSH TO REVAMP CAMPUS DRUG-FINANCIAL AID LAW

LAS VEGAS (AP) -- A UNLV student group is joining a national push for
Congress to reconsider a law that denies financial aid to students with drug
convictions.

"It's a shame that they would take away somebody's whole life, their whole
future, just for a minor offense," said Debbie Dedmon, 30, a UNLV public
relations student and member of the campus Students for Sensible Drug Policy
chapter.

Most University of Las Vegas, Nevada, applicants who are denied aid put off
college until they can qualify, although a campus official said two students
in the last two years enrolled anyway without aid.

"We rarely hear from them other than when they ask how do they become
eligible again," said Judy Belanger, UNLV financial aid director. She said
23 students who were accepted into the school last year were denied federal
aid.

She said most of the others probably took a year off while waiting for their
convictions to clear.

The law, enacted as part of a get-tough-on-drugs campaign, is drawing new
attention from activists as Congress considers renewing the Higher Education
Act of 1998.

While saying they do not condone the use of narcotics, critics argue the law
is too strict.

It applies to any drug-related offense committed by someone 18 or older.
Students are penalized for one year from the date of their convictions. A
second conviction results in a two-year penalty. A third offense permanently
bars a student from receiving aid.

The law does not apply to convictions expunged from a student's record, and
students can complete a drug rehabilitation program to regain eligibility.

Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., introduced legislation in February that would
repeal the financial aid penalties. He said it harms students who need money
for school and has little effect on wealthier students who don't need
federal aid.

Others argue the law is an effective deterrent to drug use or possession.

"A parent can say, 'Look, I don't want you to do drugs and here's another
reason why,"' said Howard Simon, a spokesman for Partnership for a Drug Free
America.

Nationally, more than 3,000 students were refused federal financial aid last
year because of a drug conviction, according to the federal Education
Department. Another 22,500 were denied aid because they did not answer the
question on their application or they failed to return a second notice about
it.