Drug question holds up student aid |
Danielle Stern |
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Student financial aid applications are being held up by the U.S. Department of Education because of a previously ignored law regarding drug convictions. Students who left question 35 blank on their financial aid applications will not receive aid until they resubmit a completed application. The question asks, "Have you ever been convicted of possessing or selling illegal drugs?" Directions printed in bold say, "Do not leave this question blank." According to Marian Smithson, director of student financial aid, 17 students of 5,884 who have applied for aid for the 2001-02 school year left question 35 blank. Of those, five have already been moved to award status. Smithson said those awards are frozen until new data is received. "We'll keep everything on hold until questions are completed and we become aware of no problems," she said. The Department of Education is responsible for notifying applicants. According to The Associated Press, hundreds of thousands of applicants who did not answer the question were not denied aid during the Clinton administration, despite the law saying they should have been. Smithson said 14,800 students of 4 million nationwide aid applicants refused to answer the question. She disagrees with the federal law. "It doesn't belong there," she said. "You're running the process based on a minute number of students." Smith also said students are ineligible for state aid in Illinois if they refuse to answer the question. Students who answer yes to the question receive a worksheet in the mail to determine if the conviction affects aid eligibility. Critics of the law point to the encouragement of aid applicants to lie to receive financial assistance. However, students said they feel applicants should be accountable. "It should be encouraging students to claim responsibility for their actions," said Tobie DePauw, a senior in liberal arts. "If they fill it out honestly, there's a better chance they're going to get financial aid." Devon Van, a junior in music education, agrees. "Students should be smart enough to fill it out," he said. Ariana Elia, a sophomore in computer science, said the question should be optional, but said she doesn't understand why applicants wouldn't respond. "I really don't see why you wouldn't answer it," she said. Other students said they didn't care about the new enforcement of the law. "It doesn't really affect me," said Mark Blane, an undeclared freshman. For more information, call the financial aid hotline at (800) 433-3243. | |