2008 Woodie Awards
Students protest drug offense question on FAFSA
Heather Turner
Issue date: 10/11/07 Section: News
"I've been concerned about some of the enforcement of very minor offenses that sometimes appear to be overblown when we could be using our energies on things that are more of a problem," McClanahan said.
She said her experiences working as a nurse with individuals who had substance abuse disorders has given her a broad understanding of the issue.
"[The question] doesn't even speak to the issue that a person that's even addicted has perhaps gone through treatment and has achieved sobriety after a significant addiction," McClanahan said. "I assumed that would still apply to them, which seems like an unfair restriction when a person is doing well."
Ryan, a former Truman student who asked for his last name to be withheld, was found to be in possession of marijuana on campus his freshman year at Truman. He said there still are ways to find funding to cover education costs. Ryan said he has been able to keep his scholarships and would have been able to keep the scholarships offered to him through the University by completing a program that included writing a paper and attending meetings, had he not opted to go to another college.
"I honestly think Truman has the right idea with the writing of the paper, and I had to go to a counseling meeting, like a group counseling session," Ryan said.
Completing a drug rehabilitation program like the one Truman requires after a student commits a drug offense involving illegal substances is part of the criteria for regaining eligibility for federal aid, according to an amendment in title IV of the Higher Education Act that went into effect in 2000.
"The scholarship that I have kept four years now is A+, and drug offenses are not, I guess, considered a reason to lose it," Ryan said.
Ryan has not had to file for federal aid to cover his college expenses but said that even though he understands where the government is coming from, it seems like it violates personal rights to ask whether or not students have been convicted of a drug offense.
She said her experiences working as a nurse with individuals who had substance abuse disorders has given her a broad understanding of the issue.
"[The question] doesn't even speak to the issue that a person that's even addicted has perhaps gone through treatment and has achieved sobriety after a significant addiction," McClanahan said. "I assumed that would still apply to them, which seems like an unfair restriction when a person is doing well."
Ryan, a former Truman student who asked for his last name to be withheld, was found to be in possession of marijuana on campus his freshman year at Truman. He said there still are ways to find funding to cover education costs. Ryan said he has been able to keep his scholarships and would have been able to keep the scholarships offered to him through the University by completing a program that included writing a paper and attending meetings, had he not opted to go to another college.
"I honestly think Truman has the right idea with the writing of the paper, and I had to go to a counseling meeting, like a group counseling session," Ryan said.
Completing a drug rehabilitation program like the one Truman requires after a student commits a drug offense involving illegal substances is part of the criteria for regaining eligibility for federal aid, according to an amendment in title IV of the Higher Education Act that went into effect in 2000.
"The scholarship that I have kept four years now is A+, and drug offenses are not, I guess, considered a reason to lose it," Ryan said.
Ryan has not had to file for federal aid to cover his college expenses but said that even though he understands where the government is coming from, it seems like it violates personal rights to ask whether or not students have been convicted of a drug offense.
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