A national scholarship fund is being inaugurated today for students with drug convictions who would not be able to attend college without money from federal financial aid.
In 1998, a law was passed making people convicted on drug charges ineligible to receive federal financial aid, but it has had little, if any affect at ASU.
Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania and Hampshire College in Massachusetts also have scholarship funds for students with prior drug convictions, but at ASU, there are no scholarships set aside for criminal drug offenders.
Diane Stemper, ASU director of student financial assistance, said there is no need for the special funds.
There are no students at ASU who are being denied some sort of financial aid because of criminal drug convictions, Stemper said.
Though the federal government has laws that ASU must follow when giving government financial aid, none of the scholarships offered through ASU look at drug convictions, Stemper said.
"We base scholarships on merit, financial need, community service and leadership," she said.
In addition, Stemper said when students report that they have not had a drug conviction, ASU does not check police reports. In theory, Stemper said, people could have a prior drug conviction, but since the information is self-reported, ASU would never know.
Arizona has different laws than the federal government, said Special Agent Jim Molesa of the Drug Enforcement Administration, so it is easier for students in Arizona to get financial aid if they have been arrested for drug offenses.
Possession of drugs in Arizona is a felony, but Molesa said when people are arrested for possession of a small amount — a charge called "simple possession" — it can be reduced from a felony to a misdemeanor if the offender takes rehabilitation classes.
Under that state law, the federal law loses some of its power, Molesa said.
"There are 50 different states and 50 different laws," Molesa said. "In Arizona, you're not going to get a drug conviction for possession; you'll get probation." If someone is on probation for a drug offense, they are still allowed to get federal financial assistance.
The U.S. Education Department reported that more than 47,000 of the 10.5 million applicants for federal financial aid this year might face denial of funds due to a drug conviction or for not answering the conviction question on the Free Application for Financial Student Aid (FAFSA).
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
Reach the reporter at lindsey.holder@asu.edu.
