When Paul Blasenheim '12 tells people he is a drug policy activist, people assume that he "just wants to make smoking weed easier." To many, drug activism means student-hippies fighting for easier access to another fix. The movement, however, deals with much more than just legalizing pot -- activists are setting their sights on complex issues of race, class, and socio-economic inequality, while struggling to be taken seriously. At the center of drug activism at Wesleyan is Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP). Blasenheim founded the second incarnation of this group at Wesleyan in the fall of 2009, but an earlier chapter of this organization existed at Wesleyan in the early 2000s. [continues 844 words]
Financial Aid is one thing every parent wishes their child could get to help pay for college. But the process that one has to go through to get financial aid has become increasingly tougher over the years, and many who border certain income levels don't end up getting the financial support they need. With all the hard work and effort students and parents put into getting aid, shouldn't it only be given to the students who prove to be worthy of it? [continues 376 words]
Not being able to afford college is not a new problem, as many people need to take out student loans and work while attending college. Financial aid can be a big help in paying for college expenses. Yet a provision in the Higher Education Act denies federal aid to convicted drug offenders, which an applicant must disclose when filling out question 35 on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Nearly 200,000 students have been denied financial aid since the law was enacted, according to a report from Students for Sensible Drug Policy Web site. [continues 494 words]
Students who are on financial aid and are caught smoking marijuana could see their federal assistance go up in smoke. The Higher Education Act was established in 1965 to provide educational resources for college students through financial aid programs. In 1998, a revision was added to the act to include a drug provision that has since denied or delayed financial aid to 200,000 potential aid recipients because of drug convictions. The drug provision was added to the act as a means of creating a no-tolerance for drug-use atmosphere at college campuses nationwide. [continues 407 words]
The Higher Education Act was established in 1965 to provide educational resources for college students through financial aid programs. In 1998, a revision was added to the act to include a drug provision that has since denied or delayed financial aid to 200,000 potential aid recipients because of drug convictions. The drug provision was added to the act as a means of creating a no-tolerance for drug-use atmosphere at college campuses nationwide. University of Hawai'i Financial Aid Director Linda Clemons explained that question 31 on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid exposes drug offenders by asking them if they have ever been convicted of "possessing or selling illegal drugs" while receiving federal student aid. If the applicant responds "yes," then they are required to fill out an additional worksheet to determine if and when they can resume eligibility. [continues 340 words]
Students convicted of any drug-related crime while receiving federal financial aid lose their aid for the rest of the semester and are ineligible for aid the next time the student applies for it, according to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid Web site. The rule has UA students on opposite sides of the fence. Finance senior Stephan Schickling favors the policy. He said students should only take legally prescribed drugs, and that consumption of any illegal substances should be grounds for invalidating federal aid. [continues 588 words]
Each year students across the nation fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, and when they do, there's a small box under Question 31 that - if marked - can cost them significant federal aid. College students in the United States and Canada rallied against this question, which asks students if they have been convicted for the possession or sale of illegal drugs, last week as part of the Students for Sensible Drug Policy's week of action. Tom Angell, government relations director for SSDP, said about 40 campuses participated in the week of action against the Aid Elimination Penalty, though K-State was not one of them. [continues 855 words]
Students With a Marijuana Misdemeanor Have Same Consequences The number of on-campus drug arrests increased from 2006 to 2007, and being convicted of a drug offense while in college can put students' federal financial aid packages in jeopardy. The Wright State Police Department made 12 on-campus drug-related arrests in 2006, according to a crime statistics report published by the University. With two-and-a-half months left in the year, the number of campus drug arrests stands at 14 for 2007, according Wendy Chetcuti, Wright State Police Records Manager. [continues 769 words]
Students Work to Halt Financial Aid Penalties for Drug Offenses Stationing themselves in different places on campus this week, members of UConn's chapter of Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) urged their peers to speak out regarding a little-known provision in the Higher Education Act. This provision, "The Aid Elimination Penalty" dictates that in addition to being punished by the law, students convicted of drug offenses will lose federal financial aid for college. Punishment is as follows: after a student is convicted of possession of a controlled substance, they lose their aid for one year. After their second offense, they lose aid for two years and after a third offense, they will lose federal aid indefinitely, according to the SSDP Web site. [continues 679 words]
In its campaign for revised laws for students convicted with drug charges, the Students for Sensible Drug Policy group is taking on the Aid Elimination Penalty. The AEP under the Higher Education Act, which was signed into legislation by Congress in 1988, requires that students who apply for federal aid must reveal past drug convictions. SSDP is asking for a full removal of the AEP. According to the SSDP's report titled Harmful Drug Law Hits Home, "the Aid Elimination Penalty automatically strips financial aid from students with any drug conviction, including misdemeanor marijuana possession." [continues 292 words]
National Organization of Reform Marijuana Laws members assembled this past Wednesday to pick up trash on the group's adopted one-mile stretch of Interstate 70. "The main thing, don't pick up animal carcasses, don't touch needles, glass," NORML member sophomore Brandon Jordan said of roadside safety. NORML members carpooled to the north side of I-70 between Clark Lane and Rangeline Street. Members of both NORML and Students for Sensible Drug Policy headed to the littered grass with gloves and garbage bags in hand. [continues 249 words]
Group Hopes Congress Will Finally Ditch Financial Aid Question Since 1998, a lone question tucked away on the government's Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form has stopped at least 200,000 potential college students from receiving financial aid, according to the U.S. Department of Education. That was the year that Congress passed the Higher Education Act Aid Elimination Policy, adding a new FASFA question: "Has the student ever been convicted of possessing or selling illegal drugs?" Now a movement is growing to eliminate the question altogether. [continues 446 words]
Convicted drug dealers should not be eligible to receive student financial aid from the state, according to state Rep. Eugene Hahn, R-Cambria, who sponsored a bill being considered by the Assembly Committee on Colleges and Universities this week. The bill, which mirrors a federal law on federal aid, would prevent a college student convicted of possessing drugs with the intent to sell ineligible for state, loan or work assistance. The restriction would be lifted after a two-year suspension or if the student completes a drug rehabilitation program. [continues 370 words]
The student government of the University of California-Berkeley will offer scholarships to students who have lost federal financial aid because of a drug conviction. Although similar aid has been offered by a handful of private colleges, this is the first time that students at a public university have taken a stand against Question 31 on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, which asks, "Have you ever been convicted of possessing or selling illegal drugs?" The scholarship - a one-time payment of $400 to an affected student - was conceived by student senator David Israel Wasserman. The vote of support took place last month. [continues 132 words]
Students Nationwide Fight Aid Penalty for Drug Convictions Student governments at universities across the country are teaming up to fight what they see as discrimination against students convicted of drug offenses. While Northeastern's student government has not yet sought legislation against the Aid Elimination Penalty, some students are looking to start a Northeastern chapter of Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP). The penalty is a controversial 1998 amendment to the Higher Education Act that forbids students with drug convictions from receiving federal financial aid, which some say works against the goals of higher education. [continues 762 words]
EUGENE, Ore. - The biggest problem with question 31 on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid form, which asks whether a student has been convicted of possessing or selling illegal drugs, is not that it will strip students of their financial aid, but rather that it will scare people off from applying to college in the first place - at least according to University of Oregon Director of Student Financial Aid Elizabeth Bickford. In her experience, the extreme minority of students who initially answered yes to the question soon realized that their convictions didn't affect their aid. Those who do answer yes - that they were convicted of selling or possessing drugs when they were older than 18, while they were receiving federal financial aid and have not completed a drug treatment program - can easily get their aid reinstated, Bickford said. [continues 446 words]
Question 31 on the Fafsa Inspired a UC Berkeley Student Senator to Create a Program That Gives Aid to Those Denied Federal Aid Because of Drug Convictions The biggest problem with question 31 on the FAFSA form, which asks whether a student has been convicted of possessing or selling illegal drugs, is not that it will strip students of their financial aid, but rather that it will scare people off from applying to school in the first place - at least according to Director of Student Financial Aid Elizabeth Bickford. [continues 514 words]
Students who will be attending college in 2007-08 should start filling out the federal government's financial aid form -- even if they filled it out last year and were denied assistance. Congress made several changes in the federal financial aid formula that could make some families eligible for more, especially those who own a small business or saved money in their student's name. The new formula also goes easier on drug offenders. As always, filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) makes the student eligible for an unsubsidized Stafford loan, regardless of income or need. [continues 1350 words]
No Financial Aid for Drug Offenders Smoke pot? If so, your federal financial aid is in jeopardy. The Higher Education Act Aid Elimination Penalty, signed by former President Bill Clinton and passed into law in 1998, requires students to reveal drug convictions to the government when applying for federal aid. The drug conviction question was added to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid for the 2000-01 school year. "oeThe question encompasses everything from a single marijuana cigarette up to heroin trafficking," Tom J. Angell, campaigns director of Students for a Sensible Drug Policy in Washington, D.C., said. [continues 388 words]
A federal law preventing college students convicted of drug violation may keep students convicted of past drug violations from receiving financial aid. "About 3 students this school year couldn't get aid because of their drug convictions," said David Chambers, associate director of the Student Aid Office. "It's not fair to single out students who have drug related offense." "Have you ever been convicted of possessing or selling illegal drugs?" is question 31 on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid application, the form used by the government to determine eligibility for financial aid. [continues 468 words]
