Serving UNC-Wilmington Since 1 948
Volume Lil, Number B
Inside
This
Issue..
Have a safe Fall
break! Look for
the Seahawk
next Thursday,
October 12
WWW.THESEAHAWK.ORG
October 3, ZQOO
New anti-drug law denies financial
aid to students with drug convictions
The Sound and the Fury
Wilmington ordinance threatens
to quiet downtown area/14
Undaunted
Volleyball
team still
charging
ahead
despite
losses /14
Sqmer Stahl
Staff Writer
A new anti-drug law denying federal aid
to students who have been convicted of an
illegal drug offense came into affect at the
beginning of fall semester 2000. The Higher
Education Act Drug Provision was passed
in 1998 and includes an amendment to the
original Higher Education Act (HEA) passed
by Congress in 1965.
Originally, the HEA was established to
provide students with federal financial aid
programs such as PLUS loans, Perkins loans,
PeU Grants and Work-Study Programs. The
1998 provision, introduced by Republican
Representative of Indiana Mark Souder, de
nies this aid to students convicted of any state
or federal dmg offense.
According to the Higher Education Act
Coahtion, aU of this legislation revolves
around question on the Federal Appli
cation for Financial Student Aid (FAFSA),
asking whether or not a student has been
convicted of a drug offense. This year, more
than 750,000 applicants have left this ques
tion blank, but are still receiving aid. Under
the HEA provision, filling in this question
will now be mandatory.
“Congress got upset that students were
Illustration by James Flint and
Thomas M. flu/te/The Seahawk
New anti-drug laws will prevent prospective college students from
receiving financial aid if they have any kind of drug conviction, re-
gardless of the severity.
voluntarily asked to disclose this type of in
formation,” said Mark Williams, director of
financial aid and veterans’ services. “They
(Congress) wanted it to be ironclad.”
Williams said that there was a provision
in the law since 1992 as well. The law used
to refer only to students charged with a fed
eral felony. The twist in 1998 refers to stu
dents convicted of any drug offense, on any
level. StiU, Williams confirmed that this pro
vision does not affect state or institutional aid.
Also, according to the Higher Education
Act Coalition, H Jl. 4504 was passed on May
25. This bill contains some changes to the
HEA, requiring the Department of Educa
tion to treat students who do not answer ques
tion #28 on the FAFSA form as ineligible
until they do so.
Representative Bobby Scott, a Democrat
fhim Virginia, introduced the Scott Amend
ment to strike the provision, but the attempt
failed. Anew bill, H.R. 1053, will be reintro
duced to Congress in January and will ask
that the HEA drug provision be repealed en
tirely.
Suzarme Shover, coordinator of Cross
roads on campus, thinks that there is a lot of
controversy with this law and to her under-
SEE ANTI-DRUE, PAGE 5
Wizards receive cheers, jeers from campus
BEN JDNE5
INDEX
Campus News......
OP/ED
Classifieds.......n»>»»»
A & E
The Scene
Sports
Sports Editor
The Washington Wizards arrive at UNC
Wilmington today for the team’s preseason
training camp. The NBA team will set up
camp at UNCW, using the Student Recre
ation Center (SRC) for administrative offices
and practice location.
During the 10 day camp, the Wizards will
be conducting try-outs for prospective play
ers, as well as re-acclimate the team’s cur
rent roster for the upcoming season. As all
NBA teams do, the pteseason camp is a time
for the coaches to see which players poten
tially will start or at least be an essential mem
ber to the squad.
Although practice will be off-limits to
students, faculty, and staff of UNCW, the
Wizards will play an exhibition game at
Trask Coliseum Tuesday, October 10. The
game will be fi«e of charge to all UNCW
students, faculty, and staff, exclusive only to
those members who acquire a ticket. Tick
ets areavailable yesterday through tonx>rrow
fiom 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. at the infor
mation desk in the University Union or the
WIZARDS
Office of Housing & Residence life Activ
ity Center.
Two teams will be made from a division
of Wizard players. While the game will have
no variance on the team’s future, it will give
the Seahawk family a chance to partake in
the prodigious campus event. In addition,
watching top quality basketball players live
in action is unique in its self.
UNCW shares the honor of hosting a
NBA team with a couple of other area uni
versities. UNC Chapel Hill will embrace the
Philadelphia 76ers later this month; while
CoUege of Charleston is home to the New
York Knicks’ training camp.
UNC Wilmington’s decision to accom
modate the Wizards has met with animosity
fit)m several students though. The majority
of the unhappy students are upset at the mon
etary fee the campus is charging: nothing.
Walt Massey, a sophomore Communica
tion Studies major indicated that not charg
ing the Wizartls seemed out of touch. “I’m
not honored to have Michael Jordan on cam
pus. He didn’t attend school here, therefore
we should profit fiom (the Wizards’ presence
on campus).”
Sophomore Jonathan Scholten had simi-
larthoughtstothetrainingcamp. “Mostother
organizations that want to use our facilities,
such as the SRC, have to pay a fee... so why
should the Wizards be treated different,”
Scholten questioned. “A lot of sUidents have
been waiting years for the new SRC facility.
Now we have only had it since April, and
we almost have to shut it down. I think it’s
pretty ridiculous,”
The Wizards use of the Student Recre
ation Center, commonly referred to as SRC,
See Wizards, Page 6