Police’s drug neglect arrests Cal Grant funds
By Katharine Jensen
Feb. 1, 2004 9:00 p.m.
Financial aid is supposed to level the playing field for those
who otherwise would not be able to attend college. One such type of
aid is the Cal Grant program, which in 2001-2002 gave
$512,873,000
(7 percent of California’s $7.3 billion aid package) in
fiscal support to California’s students. One of the mandatory
questions on the application concerns conviction for drug
possession or sale. Marking “yes” results in an
automatic denial for aid.
But, apparently, where you’re from has more to do with
whether you can mark “yes” or “no,” than
whether or not you’ve ever been caught in possession of
drugs.
For example, Atherton, Calif., is a quaint little town nestled
in between San Jose and San Francisco in San Mateo County.
Three-story mansions dot the eucalyptus tree-lined streets in this
residential area. Children play in the streets after dark and young
girls walk alone at night with hardly a trace of fear. And drugs
are taken like candy. I know ““ I grew up in Atherton.
In Atherton, like many small, wealthy towns in the United
States, teenagers have easy access to their parents’
excessive bank accounts ““ and many kids never blink an eye at
spending extravagant amounts of money on drugs. It often seemed as
if teachers and parents were simply closing their eyes to this
pressing problem because recognizing it would change the appearance
of this “perfect” town.
On any given weekend, there were high school students
experimenting with marijuana, ecstasy, acid or cocaine. And yet the
Atherton police department reported no juvenile narcotic possession
arrests in the year of 2000-2001.
Instead, APD recorded 14 construction violations (meaning
hammering on Sunday afternoons), eight barking dog violations, and
a few crimes such as petty theft and domestic disputes in 2002.
On the other hand, Los Angeles, Calif., is a bustling world that
brings together Lacoste-wearing yuppies, violent gangs, college
students and celebrities. Children are put in after-school programs
in an attempt to keep them off the streets and off drugs, and young
girls never walk alone ““ at any time of the day. And, just
like Atherton, drugs are a problem.
Except in Los Angeles, the police don’t turn a blind eye.
The Los Angeles Police Department reported 798 juvenile arrests for
possession or sale of narcotics in 2002 ““ the same year APD
reported none. And this is an increase of over 50 percent since
2001. Tough on crime, tough on kids.
So, of the 31,245 students in Los Angeles County, and the 1,556
students in San Mateo County who applied for Cal Grant last year,
which teens got to select “no” for question 31 on the
application? Being born on the proverbial wrong side of the tracks
is not only a stigma, but a real barrier to future success.
And, how sad is it that we further punish teenagers who,
evidenced by their application to college, have since attempted to
turn their lives around?
Of course, there is a loophole. One may answer “no”
to question 31 if one has been through an acceptable drug rehab
program. But even in this, Atherton children have the advantage
““ it’s far more likely that their parents will carry
health insurance or be able to afford some kind of rehabilitation.
If you can’t afford drug rehab, how likely is it that you can
afford tuition without assistance?
And so the cycle continues. Denied rehab, denied grants, denied
a college education just because you were born without a silver
spoon in your mouth.
If we were all punished so severely for one bad choice during
our teenage years, nothing would ever get accomplished.
We as a society can assist the Cal Grant system achieve its
purpose by making the system more fair. We must help troubled teens
find appropriate and cost-free drug rehab programs that will help
them be able to answer “no” to question 31. If the
people of Los Angeles and other counties are serious about cutting
crime and drug offenses, they should focus on helping first-offense
juveniles find rehab programs to nip this problem in the bud.
Also, authorities such as the Atherton police, must open their
eyes to the problems at their doorstep. It is unfair for the Cal
Grant program to deny a college education to a teenager convicted
of drug possession from a 90004 area code when the police
don’t even arrest those in 94027.
Right now, the Cal Grant program is not helping some of those
who need it most.
Jensen is a first-year English student. E-mail her at
[email protected]. Send general comments to
[email protected].
