According to the American Council on Education, an average of 47,000 college students are denied financial aid by the Higher Education Act.

The act, which was established in 1968 to increase educational opportunities by offering federal grants and loans, was amended in 1998 to include a section that denies federal aid to students with any type of drug conviction.

Many oppose this change, saying it only hurts those with low incomes or that the act punishes students twice for the same crime.

Bob Burk, director of admissions at NIU, said this is an issue that is not so cut and dry.

“It goes across the map as far as the positives and negatives are concerned,” he said.

Until there is a change, Burk said NIU will continue to abide by the amendments.

“The bottom line is that this is what the feds came up with and we have to go with that, whether it’s right or wrong,” he said.

Still, some universities refuse to remain quiet. Western Washington University, Hampshire University and Swarthmore College all have made it public that they disagree with the act.

Yale University has taken perhaps the biggest stand by agreeing to loan money to those students who do not receive aid because of the amendment, though no Yale student has needed it yet.

“We make the money available that’s denied to them if that should happen. We just do not believe that their schooling should be interrupted because of this,” said Dorie Baker, a spokeswoman at Yale.

There are some in favor of the provisions, however.

The Community Anti-Drug Coalition of America is one organization that has backed the amendment.

“Our position is that there has to be some kind of consequence. Students should understand that financial aid is a privilege, not a right. It’s part of the price someone pays for breaking the law,” said David Anderson, vice president of communication and marketing for CADCA.

Although CADCA does favor the provision, they believe that students should be affected only if convicted of drug use while attending college, Anderson said.

There are exceptions that allow students to receive federal aid. By filling out a drug conviction worksheet at www.fafsa.ed.gov, a student can find out if he or she is eligible.

According to the National Association for College Admissions Counseling, Congress currently is pushing for a reauthorization of the act, although no official dates have been set.