On September 20, 2000, the National Council of Higher Education Loan Programs (NCHELP) posted a summary on its web site outlining the Department of Education's (ED's) decision to revise the Drug Question on the 2001-2002 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The paper, entitled "Summary of Changes to the Drug Question (35) on the 2001-2002 FAFSA," is located at www.nchelp.org/public/DrugBrief0919.pdf.htm.

The Drug Question debuted on the 2000-2001 FAFSA as a result of the 1998 Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. It first appeared as question 28, which stated, "28. If you have never been convicted of any illegal drug offense, enter '1' in the box and go to question 29. A drug-related conviction does not necessarily make you ineligible for aid; call 1-800-433-3243 or go to http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/q28 to find out how to fill out this question." Many applicants found this question confusing, and, as Texas Guaranteed (TG) reported in its March 2000 edition of Shoptalk (see "Saying 'No' to Drugs" article), approximately 20 percent of students who applied through February 2000 left question 28 blank.

ED soon took actions to minimize the consequences of the confusion surrounding question 28. In late February, ED began calling students who left question 28 blank, and as a result, changed the Student Aid Report (SAR) comments when a student left the question blank, and gave students the ability to change their response to the question via a phone call to the Federal Student Aid Information Center. According to ED's statistics, the percentage of students who have left question 28 blank on the 2000-2001 FAFSA has declined significantly as a result of these efforts.

In developing the 2001-2002 FAFSA, ED took on the challenge of "building a better drug question," soliciting input from students, schools, and members of the financial aid community. First, ED decided to move the question from number 28 to 35, which put the question at the bottom of page 3. This gave the question more visibility. Second, ED added a box next to the question that states "DO NOT LEAVE QUESTION 35 BLANK." Third, ED re-worded the question itself, using a Yes/No response format, as opposed to the previous number response format. This is how the wording appears on the 2001-2002 FAFSA: "35. Do not leave this question blank. Have you ever been convicted of possessing or selling illegal drugs? If you have, answer 'Yes,' complete and submit this application, and we will send you a worksheet in the mail for you to determine if your conviction affects your eligibility for aid." ED is hopeful that these changes will result in fewer blank responses to the Drug Question in the 2001-2002 processing year.

Students who answer "No" to question 35 on the 2001-2002 FAFSA will not receive any SAR comments pertaining to this question. Students who answer "Yes" to question 35 will receive a drug worksheet with their SAR and a special SAR comment, instructing the student to use the worksheet to determine whether the conviction affects his or her eligibility. Students who leave question 35 blank will receive a comment on their SAR that emphasizes that they must answer question 35. Those students who wish to correct their response to this question will be able to do so either on the Web, by phone, or by submitting the corrected SAR to the Central Processing System.

Questions
For more information or if you have questions regarding ED's changes to the Drug Question on the 2001-2002 FAFSA, call TG Customer Services at (800) 252-9743, ext. 4444 or send an e-mail message to customer.services@tgslc.org.