It’s FAFSA time!
If you want federal student aid to help pay for your higher education next year, you better get your FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) done as soon as possible.
While filling out your application, though, make sure you complete it thoroughly, neatly, and whatever you do‚ do not leave Question 35 blank. More than 14,000 students were denied some or all financial aid last year because of Question 35. This question cuts federal aid for any student with a previous drug conviction.
In 1998, the Higher Education Act (HEA) implemented the drug provision (Question 35) that restricts financial aid to students who need that assistance to receive a higher education.
The HEA was originally created to expand federal financial aid programs. HEA has done great work in the past to help students receive higher education. For example, it created the Perkins Loan, Pell Grant and work study programs. But now, the HEA’s drug provision is closing the doors on higher education to students.
The provision punishes students twice for the same crime. Under this provision, students face discrimination in addition to the service, time or fines the criminal justice system already demanded.
Judges have the power to restrict financial aid eligibility as individual cases warrant. The HEA drug provision removes that discretion.
The drug provision also has a discriminatory impact toward students of color. African Americans make up 13 percent of the population and 13 percent of all drug users. Yet, because of racial profiling, African Americans account for more than 55 percent of those convicted of drug charges.
Oregon currently has the highest unemployment rate in the nation. If we want to change that, we must keep students in college. The surest way to for people to become long-term contributors to the economy is by obtaining higher education.
The average college graduate contributes between $29,000 and $38,000 to Oregon’s economy in one year. The focus of education must be on providing the opportunity for many individuals to receive a college education. Education is a second chance for many people who want to better their lives.
I am not supporting or promoting drug use. I am, however, promoting and supporting higher education for everyone. Don’t ruin a student’s future by fixating on their past.
Just think about it: If the HEA drug provision was in effect when President George W. Bush was in college, he might not be president right now. Wait, that’s not a good example.
How to help: Please contact ASUO or the Multicultural Center.