|
|
| Yale Goes Own Way On Drug Policy |
|
Posted by FoM on April 09, 2002 at 21:31:24 PT By Janice D'Arcy, Courant Staff Writer Source: Hartford Courant 
Yale University has thrust itself into the debate over the country's war on drugs by deciding to reimburse students who lose federal financial aid after they are convicted of drug-related crimes.The action is a virtual end run around a controversial provision of the Higher Education Act of 1998. The decision makes Yale the fourth college in the country, and by far the most influential, to take a stand against the "Drug-Free Student Aid" provision. "It comes from a desire that Yale students not have their education interrupted because they could no longer afford school," said Yale spokesman Tom Conroy. The law says that any student convicted of a drug offense is ineligible for federal grants and loans. Students would lose their aid temporarily depending on the severity and number of offenses. In most cases, the students would become eligible for aid again after they have completed a drug rehabilitation program. For the first two years after it was passed, the drug provision remained theoretical. President Clinton's administration did not actively enforce it and often awarded aid to students who ignored the question about drug convictions on their applications. But President Bush's administration has insisted that all questions on the application be answered. With that enforcement has come an increasing protest on campuses nationwide. Student groups say that about 60,000 students have been affected by the law so far. Yale administrators say that no Yale student is in that group. Although dozens of student governments, including ones at the University of Connecticut, Wesleyan University and Western Connecticut State University, have passed resolutions condemning the law, few administrators have weighed in publicly. Only Western Washington University, Hampshire College and Swarthmore College have adopted reimbursement policies before Yale. Yale's decision is a radical and uncharacteristic one at a university that scrupulously guards its clout and carefully manages policies that will make a public statement. In this case, the financial aid director did not answer questions directly about the policy; instead, she referred questions to Yale's public affairs office. Conroy said that university officers approved the change and told their students of it last week. Yale will provide university funds to make up for lost federal aid while a student undergoes drug rehabilitation and until the student becomes eligible for federal help again. The Yale policy applies to students convicted of possession charges - not to students convicted of offenses that involve selling or intent to sell drugs. Groups that support Yale's decision say it is a dramatic, powerful statement that will spur momentum for their cause. "This sends a message loud and clear not just to the education community, but also to the law-making community," said Darrell Rogers, the national outreach coordinator for Students for Sensible Drug Policy, a group that leads the charge against the federal drug provision and helped Yale students lobby against it. When a spokesman for the Partnership for a Drug-Free America was contacted Monday, he was already well aware of the Yale decision. The spokesman, Howard Simon, said that he did not oppose the Yale policy per se, but he defended the law. "This is another consequence to drug use, losing financial aid. ... We think anything that serves as a deterrent to drug use is helpful," he said. "If this makes it easier for parents to talk to their kids about drugs, it's a positive thing." Yale student Andrew Allison coordinated the student lobbying effort and met with several Yale administrators, including President Richard Levin, in recent months. Allison said that administrators might be wary of promoting the policy change because "some people may not understand. They may see it as subsidizing drug use." Despite the official hush, Allison said that administrators were critical of the federal law from his first meeting with them and had already been working on a policy change. "They were very receptive," he said. "It was really encouraging to find both students and administrators on common ground." Note: School Will Give Aid To Students With Criminal Convictions. Source: Hartford Courant (CT) Related Articles & Web Site: Student's for Sensible Drug Policy Yale to Reimburse Aid Lost Under Higher Ed. Act Who Is Responsible for Students Losing Education? College Students Take New Tack Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help |
 |
| Comment #1 posted by E_Johnson on April 09, 2002 at 21:36:56 PT |
| For the first two years after it was passed, the drug provision remained theoretical. President Clinton's administration did not actively enforce it and often awarded aid to students who ignored the question about drug convictions on their applications. He signed it into law. It was no longer theoretical the moment it was signed into law. This man didn't seem to take his job very seriously. If he didn't believe the law should be enforced, then he should vetoed the bill. That would have been the honest, forthright way to deal with the problem. [ Post Comment ] |
| Post Comment |  |
 |  |