SENSELESS BARRIERS

From 1985 to 2000, corrections spending in Michigan grew by 227 percent,
in contrast to higher education's 27 percent growth. That's eight times the
rate of higher education spending, while tuition fees increased 82 percent
over the last decade.

At $28,000 per prisoner, the state could pay the annual tuition of five
students at a public university.

Another barrier that must be eliminated is the provision in the Higher
Education Act that denies financial aid to students with drug convictions
on their records. This also impacts minorities at a disparaging rate, as
African Americans make up half of all drug crime convictions. Since the
provision's enforcement began in 2000, 87,000 students have been denied aid.

Amanda Brazel, Warren