Efforts by the Coalition for Higher Education Act Reform (CHEAR) to repeal federal financial aid drug provision have been thwarted once more. The provision’s author Representative Mark Souder (R-IN) isn’t letting his work go down without a fight.

The Higher Education Act (HEA) is responsible for federal financial aid regulation and the provision, added in 1998, revokes financial aid eligibility for students convicted of a drug crime. Today, students are required to disclose on their FASFA if they have ever been convicted of a drug crime. If so, depending on when the offense occurred, the type, and number of offenses the student has had, they may become ineligible for financial aid for a particular duration.

CHEAR, a coalition of more than 500 organizations including more than 115 student body organizations (not Sac State’s ASI unfortunately), has been working to repeal the HEA’s drug provision. Positive steps have been made to loosen the provisions grip on financial aid. Souder has been responsible for some of the positive steps toward a repeal but also, as reported by POLITICO, attacked CHEAR in a letter to his colleagues calling them a “small but determined coalition of drug-legalization groups.” As a result of Souder’s efforts, students are still being inflicted with unnecessary punishments for drug offenses.

In its current state, provision revokes financial aid only if the student offends while they are receiving financial aid. Students may regain eligibility earlier than the timeline designates if they go through a drug treatment program. Since its induction into the HEA in 1998, over 200,000 students have had their aid revoked. This does not include the students who did not apply for aid because (regardless of whether they were eligible or not) the provision deterred them from applying.

Students convicted of a drug crime are already subject to fines, probation, jail time, and repercussions by their university. The punishment a student will endure from a drug conviction is more than sufficient without revoking their federal financial aid.

Financial aid is only eligible to students who have at least a “C” average. The students whose aid is being revoked are succeeding in school. Federal aid is based on need. When revoked, students will not have the means to continue their education until their aid eligibility is re-established. At least half of students who stop attending university before their receiving their degree will not return to finish it. At a time when the graduation turn out is still not on par with societal need, those students who are making their grades and are on track to graduate should not be doubly penalized for a mistake.

While Souder may not want his provision repealed, more than 50 of his colleagues have signed onto a bill that would repeal the provision. There are plenty of ways to fight America’s War on Drugs. Denying federal aid to needy students who made a mistake should not be one of them.

Choquette Marrow can be reached at [email protected]