Pubdate: Mon, 01 May 2006 Source: Central Michigan Life (Central MI U, MI Edu) Copyright: 2006 Central Michigan Life Contact: http://www.cm-life.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2808 Author: Ben Carlson, Staff Reporter Note: SSDP's state-by-state report and data can be downloaded from http://www.ssdp.org/states Cited: Students for Sensible Drug Policy http://www.daregeneration.com Cited: American Civil Liberties Union http://www.aclu.org/drugpolicy/ Referenced: ACLU to Challenge Financial Aid Drug Penalty http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v06/n402/a06.html Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/hea.htm (Higher Education Act) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?219 (Students for Sensible Drug Policy) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?225 (Students - United States) THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS DENIED AID IN '05-'06 Numbers Stem From Admitting Past Drug Charges On FASFA More than 16,800 students nationwide were denied financial aid during the 2005-06 school year because of a drug conviction. The U.S. Department of Education released statistics regarding a law passed in 1998 which reduces federal student aid eligibility to students with past drug convictions. "This policy discourages access to education among low-to middle-class people, because those in the upper class are less likely to apply for financial aid," said Tom Angell, campaign director of Students for Sensible Drug Policy. Students for Sensible Drug Policy, a national student organization, obtained the information as part of a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit settlement with the U.S. Department of Education. The Higher Education Act Aid Elimination Penalty stipulates students filing Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FASFA) forms must report past drug convictions, delaying or eliminating access to federal aid. Since enacted in 2000, nearly 190,000 students have had their applications rejected - some whose access to federal aid will be permanently blocked. More than 6,700 of those applications, about 3.5 percent of the national total, came from Michigan. Central Michigan University administrators denied knowledge of the law affecting anyone currently enrolled at CMU, as reported in April by Central Michigan Life. "When a student gets a drug charge, suspension, expulsion and jail time supersede loss of financial aid," said Dean of Students Bruce Roscoe. This year Congress altered the law, greatly reducing the number of students rejected, said Stephanie Babyak, Department of Education spokeswoman. "Only convictions while a person is a college student and receiving aid will cause them to lose their aid - a change the (Department of Education) administration supported," Babyak said. The change will go into effect July 1. The American Civil Liberties Union and Students for Sensible Drug Policy filed a federal lawsuit this year, claiming the law is unconstitutional. "We see (the change) as a huge victory, but it's still punishing someone twice for the same crime, which violates the Double Jeopardy Clause of the Fifth Amendment," Angell said. Because the suit - SSPD v. Spelling - is a class action lawsuit, anyone denied student aid because of a drug conviction is encouraged to contact the ACLU or Students for Sensible Drug Policy. The plaintiff, Education Secretary Margaret Spelling, has yet to reply to the charges as of Saturday, Angell said. She has less than 30 days left to respond. A state-by-state breakdown of the students affected by the Higher Education Act Aid Elimination Penalty can be found at www.ssdp.org/states/. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake