AID EXCLUSION BATTLED AT UI

IOWA CITY -- Two students are hoping to change the University of
Iowa's stance of not offering financial aid to those with drug violations.

UI senior George Pappas and freshman Kyle FitzGerald say they are not
out to legalize marijuana. Instead, the duo plans to convince UI
administrators next semester to take a defiant public stand against
recent provisions to the Higher Education Act, which establishes
federal financial aid programs for college students.

A 1998 revision to the act blocks financial aid opportunities for
college students who have drug convictions on their record. This is up
for re-authorization in 2004.

So Pappas and FitzGerald organized a UI chapter of Students for
Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP), a national organization with more than
200 high school and university chapters across the country.

SSDP tries to educate the public about the War on Drugs. "After people
get over the fear that we're just a bunch of potheads, people will
support our cause," said Pappas, of Lombard, Ill. "We are not arguing
for the legalization of marijuana."

In early November, Pappas and FitzGerald sent out a mass e-mail to all
UI students explaining their cause. That e-mail garnered support from
more than 200 interested students.

It's been hard for Pappas and FitzGerald to convey that they are not
on a crusade to legalize marijuana in the state, they said. They said
their goal is to ensure everyone receives fair treatment when it comes
to money for college.

Of the almost 25,000 federal financial aid applications filed each
year at the UI, fewer than 10 students were turned down because of the
Higher Education Act provision, said Mark Warner, UI director of
Student Financial Aid. "In the grand scheme of things, its's not even
an issue for UI students,"

Warner said. "It's not even on the radar." FitzGerald, of Dubuque,
said he wants to organize a week-long hemp campaign on campus, to
inform the public about differences between hemp and marijuana. He
said he will also lobby the Iowa Legislature to de-criminalize
industrial hemp, even though he suspects it will fail. "I just want to
make some noise," said FitzGerald.