Pubdate: Mon, 23 Oct 2000
Source: Chronicle of Higher Education, The (US)
Copyright: 2000 by The Chronicle of Higher Education
Contact:  http://chronicle.com/
Author: JENNIFER YACHNIN

CONVICTED OF DRUG CRIMES, 7,000 U.S. STUDENTS FORFEIT ALL OR PART OF THEIR AID

Almost 7,000 of the 9 million students who applied for federal aid for this 
fall are ineligible for some or all of their financial aid because of their 
recent convictions of drug-related offenses, according to the Education 
Department.

Aides to Representative Mark E. Souder, the Indiana Republican who drafted 
the legislation barring aid to students with drug convictions, said the 
lawmaker was surprised the number was so low. But Education Department 
officials said the statistics matched their expectations.

"Justice Department figures tell us that roughly 1 percent of the U.S. 
population have a drug conviction, so it would follow roughly that 1 
percent of the people who apply for aid would have a drug conviction to 
report," said Karen Freeman, a spokeswoman for the department's Office of 
Student Financial Assistance.

The 2000-1 academic year is the first in which students with drug-related 
convictions could become ineligible for federal aid.

Approximately 10 million students apply for federal aid each year, and as 
of October 15, the Education Department had processed about 8.6 million 
applications.

Department statistics show that, under the drug-conviction provision, 1,311 
applicants have been ruled ineligible for aid, and an additional 5,617 
applicants must complete a waiting period before they become eligible.

Applicants can lose all or some of their federal aid, depending on the date 
of conviction. The period during which the aid may be suspended begins on 
the date of conviction.

Under the law, students may suffer one year of aid-eligibility suspension 
for a first conviction of a drug-possession charge; two years for a second 
conviction; and indefinite suspension for a third conviction. However, a 
student can regain eligibility by completing a drug-rehabilitation program 
or by winning a reversal of the conviction or having it set aside.

Despite being pressured by the Education Department to respond, nearly 
275,000 applicants have yet to answer whether they have ever been convicted 
of a drug offense.

Initially, more than 790,000 applicants failed to answer the question. 
Department officials allowed financial-aid administrators to award aid this 
year to those who left the question blank, but warned those students to 
alert the department of any drug convictions or risk penalties for lying on 
their forms. Beginning next year students will be required to answer the 
question to qualify for federal aid.

"We determined early on that many people who don't answer the question feel 
it doesn't pertain to them, or don't understand the question or forget to 
answer it," Ms. Freeman said.

Congress imposed the drug-conviction restriction when it renewed the Higher 
Education Act in 1998. The provision denies aid to students who have 
recently been convicted in state or federal court of possessing or selling 
illicit drugs.
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