EDITORIAL VIEWPOINT

In applying for federal financial aid, students are asked to confess if
they have ever been arrested on drug charges. It is a simple yes or no
question, but the answer is very important because those who have been
convicted on drug charges are not eligible for financial aid. The form does
not ask how many times you have been arrested, under what circumstances you
were arrested, or if you have been arrested for other crimes, and this
makes it unfair. Convicted rapist, are allowed to receive financial aid,
but a kid who gets caught smoking a joint is not.

The American Civil Liberties Union is fighting for the rights of students
who have been convicted of drug charges and denied financial aid. The ACLU
is fighting a law that was passed in 1998 that bars financial aid to those
who have been arrested for the sale or possession of illegal drugs. The
denial of financial aid due to a drug conviction extends the punishment and
complicates positive turnaround. Institutions that support higher education
should encourage students to put drugs behind them and focus on school, and
not prevent them from receiving financial aid and an education.

The government does not want to loan money to individuals who might use
that money to buy and sell drugs, possibly making a profit, but that is not
reason enough to deny all those with drug convictions financial aid.
However, not all students convicted of drug charges are going to use their
financial aid for illegal activities.

A stipulation against drug convictions should also include a form of
measuring the degree of the crime, for the ACLU estimates that 27 percent
of Americans between the age of 18 and 25 have used illegal drugs in the
last year. It is not likely that all the people who tried illegal drugs use
them regularly or sell them, so it is not fair to deny all those with drug
convictions financial aid.

Another unfair factor is the way in which drug arrests occur more often in
minority communities. Facts from the Department of Justice indicate that
African Americans represent a majority of those convicted and incarcerated
for drug possession. This is not because white people do not do drugs, but
because police target minorities. This stipulation brings racial profiling
into the financial aid process.

Hopefully the ACLU will be able to make a change in the federal financial
aid process, for it is unfairly affecting certain students. At this time,
they are focusing on collecting complaints and testimonials that will help
support the argument that not all those convicted of drug charges should be
denied federal financial aid.