Pubdate: Sun, 24 Sep 2000
Source: Baltimore Sun (MD)
Copyright: 2000 The Baltimore Sun, a Times Mirror Newspaper.
Contact:  501 N. Calvert Street P.0. Box 1377 Baltimore, MD 21278
Fax: (410) 315-8912
Website: http://www.sunspot.net/
Forum: http://www.sunspot.net/cgi-bin/ultbb/Ultimate.cgi?action=intro
Author: Stephanie Hanes

QUESTION ON FINANCIAL FORM STIRS PROTEST

Query Seeks To Make Those Convicted Of Drug Offenses Ineligible For Aid

To judge by the numbers, Question 28 on the federal financial aid 
application has had little impact on the millions of students seeking money 
for college - 1,140 of nearly 8 million applicants were denied aid because 
of it this year.

But that question - which asks whether a student has been convicted of any 
drug-related offense - is drawing an indignant response from some campus 
administrators and student groups who view the provision as punitive.

"Why do you pull out a group of students - those who need money - and then 
keep them from getting the very thing that may help them?" asked Ellen 
Frishburg, director of student financial services at the Johns Hopkins 
University.

The little-known Question 28 is among the numerous eligibility queries on 
the Free Application for Federal Student Aid Form, and was added to the 
form under the Higher Education Act of 1998 under a proposal from Rep. Mark 
E. Souder, an Indiana Republican.

Souder sponsored the measure to prevent students from using drugs while 
receiving federal aid, said his spokeswoman, Angela K. Flood.

"If you are using or selling drugs, you are not taking advantage of the 
taxpayers' money," Flood said.

She added that another component of the legislation was to identify 
students who have drug problems and ensure that they receive treatment.

Although Souder had intended the bill to apply only to those students 
receiving aid, Flood said, the wording of the legislation was vague and 
resulted in the current Question 28, which penalizes students for any drug 
conviction.

Souder, who has voiced disappointment with the provision's first year, is 
pushing a legislative change that would bar aid to any student who leaves 
the question blank on the application - as nearly 10 percent of applicants 
did this year.

Supporters and opponents agree that the provision has had little effect on 
financial aid recipients.

At Hopkins, five of the 8,250 students who filled out the FAFSA form could 
have been affected.

None of those five enrolled, Frishburg said, so it cannot be determined 
whether any of them would have lost aid because of their answers to 
Question 28. One hundred-twenty students did not answer the question.

College administrators are not required to check whether students answered 
honestly, and this year did not have to seek answers from the hundreds of 
thousands of students who left the question blank.

Some academics criticize the decision to single out drug convictions on the 
financial aid application, while students who have been convicted of other 
offenses, such as rape and murder, remain eligible for federal financial aid.

Some also question the validity of using a financial threat to address drug 
problems on campus. Most colleges have policies that specify the 
consequences if students use drugs, and provide counseling for students who 
do. Often, schools treat drug offenses as medical issues. Opponents argue 
that the policy applies to a certain group of students: those who cannot 
afford full tuition.

"It certainly adds another level of consequence," said Susan K. Boswell, 
the Hopkins dean of students. "But it is one that is not evenly distributed 
around students, since not all students are receiving aid. It's not an 
equally enforceable policy."

Boswell said Hopkins has a drug-prevention program, and that the university 
has witnessed a decrease in the number of students hospitalized for 
intoxication. She said the university treats student drug problems 
primarily as a medical issue.

Student advocacy groups, such as the United States Student Association and 
U.S. PIRG, have spoken against Souder's provision.

In a position paper, the USSA states: "We find these measures to be 
punitive and counterintuitive to the goal of helping students."

The U.S. Department of Education has come out against an amendment that 
would deny aid to those who do not answer the question, saying such a 
provision would be unwise.

For now, Question 28 appears to have permanent residence on the federal 
financial aid form.

"It's political," Frishburg said. "It's 'apple pie and motherhood.' It's 
very hard to stand up there and say we want students who have been 
convicted of drug abuses to get federal financial aid."
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jo-D