Nothing makes my head swell with white-hot anger more than a hypocrite. Someone who says one thing then does the exact opposite is worse than a liar. Liars just say something that isn’t true; they don’t preach forgiveness and a second chance and deny these things to those who truly need it.
Case in point: It is now mandatory to fill out the question on the FAFSA that asks if you’ve been convicted of a drug-related felony. It also states that this has no bearing on your eligibility for scholarships, grants, and loans. If it has no bearing, why do I have to fill it out? Is there some burning need over at human resources to find out if the people they are giving money to have drug records? Are they taking a poll? “Excuse me sir, have you ever been convicted of stuffing the veins of junkies with black-tar heroine? Yes? Thanks, just asking.” Of course it has something to do with your eligibility.
This is not the most devious part, blatantly lying to students who are too poor to afford an education on their own and must ask their faithful government for help. The question obviously singles out those who have had a troubled past and some problems with drugs and denies them federal money for their education. This ensures that the people who need the help the most are guaranteed not to receive it.
John grew up in a tough neighborhood. He was young and didn’t know better, so when his mother lost her two jobs and could no longer afford to send him to high school, he dropped out and found easy money in selling drugs. Eventually he sells to the wrong buyer and finds himself on the business end of a police truncheon. He gets five years in a federal prison. He finds direction in his fourth year and decides that this life is not for him and studies hard for his GED. He gets a crappy factory job working for crappy money stamping tin for 10 hours a day, and is not paid for the overtime.
John thinks this isn’t the way to live life either, so he applies to college and for federal aid. John has been told his whole life he can do anything he wants if he puts his mind to it. But John’s faithful government puts a small question on his aid form, asking about his past with drugs. John knows he must answer truthfully, since they know the answer already and he cannot hide. John is denied his aid, and his hope for a second chance at a better life is dashed by the same people who filled his head with those dreams.
I have no respect for any institution that says one thing than does the exact opposite. I don’t understand why college students will protest anything besides what affects them directly, what really matters. We have champions of animals, champions of starving children in the third world, champions for abortion, against abortion, and all sorts of other prancing and posturing advocates for distant causes.
“Hey, the FAFSA now has a mandatory drug question. Now people that need the help the most won’t get it. That guy’s future is screwed because he got caught in high school with a joint and spent 6 months in prison, now he can’t get financial aid.”
Eric Harrelson is a junior majoring in English. He can be reached for comment at harrelson.4@osu.edu.
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