|
|
| Yale's Policy Makes Stand on Drug Law |
|
Posted by FoM on April 13, 2002 at 07:49:13 PT By Yilu Zhao Source: New York Times 
Yale University has approved a new policy to reimburse students who have lost their federal financial aid because of a conviction for drug possession. Since no Yale student has lost eligibility for federal aid under the four-year-old drug-free provision of the Higher Education Act, the new policy is largely a public statement by Yale, acknowledged Thomas Conroy, a university spokesman.The law withholds federal grants and loans for any student convicted of drug possession until after completion of a rehabilitation program. Such programs can be costly, if privately run, and public programs often have waiting lists. But Yale's new policy would allow students to continue taking classes and receive reimbursement for the lost federal aid so long as they agree to undergo rehabilitation. Rehabilitation at the university health center is covered by student health insurance. The university is not extending the offer to students convicted of selling or intending to sell drugs. Yale is the fourth college in the nation, and the most influential, to take a position contrary to the federal antidrug provision, which was passed by Congress in 1998. The others are Western Washington University, Hampshire College in Massachusetts and Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania. Student advocates at Yale have pressed the administration to move in this direction since the law was enacted. The law affects about 50,000 students a year nationwide, with the majority attending community colleges or public universities, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. "It's a tremendously important step that Yale took," said Graham Boyd, the national director of the A.C.L.U.'s drug policy litigation project. "I hope Yale's action will lead to changes in the Congress." Mr. Boyd noted that Yale was one of the first universities to reimburse students who lost their aid for resisting the military draft during the Vietnam War. But in recent years, Yale has rarely made policy changes that would stir up controversy. Kathryn Banakis, a junior at Yale whose organization, Student Legal Action Movement, pushed for this policy change, said she had met the school's decision "with amazement and astonishment." Other student advocates expressed similar sentiments. "I am not used to seeing ourselves on the same positions as the university's," said Andrew Allison, a sophomore at Yale who has met with administration members to discuss the drug law. "The federal provision is unjust because it only targets those who need financial aid to afford college. I don't think education should be manipulated as a weapon in the drug war." Although the A.C.L.U. reports that the drug provision has created difficulties for recovering drug addicts who are turning their lives around, the Partnership for Drug-Free America, a New York-based nonprofit organization, said the law could serve as a useful deterrent to young people considering drug use. It makes it easier for parents to talk to their children about not using drugs, said Howard Simon, the spokesman for the organization. He added: "This is one more risk to drug use. If you use drugs, there will be consequences." Related Articles & Web Sites: Student's for Sensible Drug Policy U.S. Rep., Yalie Debate Higher Ed. Act Drug Policy Missteps Yale To Subsidize Aid To Students Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help |
 |
| Post Comment |  |
 |  |