GROUPS AIM FOR A CHANGE IN FAFSA

A coalition of organizations wants to scrap a question on the FAFSA that
denies aid to some students

Question No. 35 on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid causes some
University students to stumble, then stop. The question, called the Higher
Education Act Drug Provision, asks about past convictions for possessing or
selling illegal drugs. Students must answer the question, and a lingering
conviction can potentially affect one's ability to receive financial aid.

But the Coalition for Higher Education Act Reform is working with Rep.
Barney Frank, D-Mass., and 44 national organizations to remove the drug
provision from the FAFSA. Frank introduced the bill to Congress last week;
a voting date has not yet been set.

Coalition Coordinator Ben Gaines said question 35 has kept more than 90,000
students from receiving federal funding since its inception.

"Students have already suffered the criminal consequences. To have a
sanction restricting education is just sickening," he said.

Congress added the drug provision to the Higher Education Act in 1998 when
it revised the act to ensure adequate funding and access to college for
low-income students. The provision blocks federal aid from being
distributed to any student with past drug convictions on their permanent
record. Convictions before age 18 are not included on permanent records.

"Someone who looks at question (No. 35) and would have to answer yes may
make the decision not to fill out the application, much like a person will
not apply for a Visa card because they know they have bad credit," said
Elizabeth Bickford, University director of the Office of Student Financial
Aid and Scholarships.

But Bickford urges students who would answer yes to former convictions to
fill out the application and then investigate their options with the U.S.
Department of Education.

"People make the assumption that because they would have to check yes there
is just no way they would ever get aid, and that is just isn't correct,"
she said.

If students do not get federal aid because of the drug provision, they may
be eligible for other loans and grants through the state government,
private banks and even the University, Student Loan Representative Heather
Gregory added.

FAFSA forms can be filled out online at www.fafsa.ed.gov, and students with
questions about their eligibility should contact the University's financial
aid office.