Staff Editorial: Nullify drug provision

On Sunday night, the Undergraduate Assembly took a commendable stand against an unfair and discriminatory law. We hope that the University will do the same.

The law in question is the Higher Education Act of 1998. Among its many clauses and sections is the so-called Drug-Free Student Aid Provision, which forbids students who have been convicted of any drug-related offense from receiving federal financial aid dollars for a given period of time.

The fatal flaws and terrible inequity of this measure have been ably set out in the past by its opponents. Not only does it prevent students from receiving an education, which UA Chairman Seth Schreiberg and activist Lauren Della Cava rightly called "the best routes to living a life free of all dependencies," it also unfairly discriminates against minorities, who are disproportionately affected by the nation's drug laws, and the poor, who rely on financial aid.

To make matters worse, though the provision enables students to regain their eligibility through a certified treatment program, the law provides no subsidies for such programs, putting most out of reach of those affected by the provision.

The UA has called on the University to take a public stand against this terrible law and lobby against its reauthorization next year. We wholeheartedly endorse its effort and urge the administration to make its distaste for this part of the Higher Education Act clear.

Furthermore, it is imperative that Penn follow the lead of Yale University and Swarthmore College in guaranteeing any student denied aid under this unfair law a full reimbursement at its own expense. Putting its substantial weight against reauthorization would be admirable, but any ill effects of the law -- though none have been felt to date at Penn -- must be mitigated to ensure that no student suffers the outrageous consequences set by this rash act.

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