ASMSU is implementing a plan of attack against a federal rule which bans financial aid to students convicted of drug crimes.
MSU's undergraduate student government condemned the drug provision of the Higher Education Act at its Thursday meeting.
The provision states students convicted of a drug crime will not be eligible for financial aid for a minimum of one year, depending on the severity of the crime.
The policy has been denounced by several universities and national organizations since it was added to the Higher Education Act in 1998.
"Judges punish people, not federal programs," said Andrew Banyai, representative for Students for Sensible Drug Policy.
He said the disproportionate concern with drugs takes attention away from other university issues.
"Alcohol is really the problem that I see," first year law student and former State News columnist said. "A provision like this takes away from the problem.
"This is just the beginning of a larger project."
ASMSU joins the University of Michigan's student government and other Big Ten student governments in saying a student's drug record shouldn't be a part of the financial aid program.
The Higher Education Act was established in 1968 to set up a federal financial aid program for students.
ASMSU plans to have an active role in exposing and repealing the drug conviction policy, said Louis Brown, external affairs vice chairperson for Student Assembly.
"We're going to be instructing students from a grass-root level. (We will) increase the level of awareness of this racist drug policy at the federal level," he said, citing that more African American males are incarcerated for drug crimes than whites.
ASMSU also will be in contact with the MSU Governmental Affairs Office in Washington, D.C. to make sure issues such as the criticized drug policy get attention from legislators, Brown said.
But not all students believe ASMSU's stance against the drug policy is the right decision.
"It ends up taking away money from the people that don't do drugs," English sophomore Brian Doyle said.
He said it's important that people who use drugs know the consequences, including not being eligible for financial aid, as the policy states.
Other supporters of the policy said students are responsible for making their own decisions, including taking drugs, and should expect to be held accountable for their actions.
"No one forces you to smoke a marijuana cigarette, but people still choose to do it," said Benjamin Kaeb, Student Assembly representative for the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
"If you need financial aid, you better keep yourself in a position to be eligible," Kaeb said.
