Pubdate: Sat, 14 Jul 2012 Source: Register-Guard, The (OR) Copyright: 2012 The Register-Guard Contact: http://www.registerguard.com/web/opinion/#contribute-a-letter Website: http://www.registerguard.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/362 Author: Rob Moseley UO EYES ATHLETE DRUG TESTS Officials Want to Institute a Program That Tests Randomly, Not Just When There Is "Reasonable Suspicion" The University of Oregon is taking steps to institute random drug testing of its student-athletes. In the wake of a national report suggesting that perhaps half the UO football team smokes marijuana, the university hopes to have in place by the upcoming academic year new rules to allow random testing of all athletes. Current rules allow only for testing "on the basis of individualized reasonable suspicion." A public hearing for discussion of the proposed state administrative rule changes is scheduled at 2 p.m. on Aug. 23 in the Walnut Room of the Erb Memorial Union on campus. The hearing will take place four months after ESPN The Magazine published a report on drug use among college athletes that focused in part on the Ducks. A member of last season's Rose Bowl championship team smoked marijuana in the presence of a reporter, and the article cited "19 current or former Oregon players and officials" in estimating that perhaps 40 to 60 percent of the current team uses marijuana. In responding to the report, UO football coach Chip Kelly disputed that estimate but also said he'd prefer to have random testing available in order to know for sure. "We've been advocating for it for some time," UO Senior Associate Athletic Director Craig Pintens said Friday. "If (the ESPN report) opened people's eyes to it and helped advance the issue, then something positive came out of it." A spokesman for Oregon State said the Beavers also are investigating a proposal to allow random testing of their athletes. Pintens said the new program, if implemented, would get Oregon closer in line with national standards. "Other schools are allowed to do it, and this will strengthen our policy, which is great," Pintens said. "By strengthening the policy, it brings it up not only to what other universities are doing, but what other governing bodies around sports are doing," he said. The proposed rule changes outline both testing procedures and punishments. The university proposes random testing for both illicit substances and performance-enhancing drugs, while keeping in place the ability to test on the basis of reasonable suspicion. Under the proposed policy, "all student-athletes are subject to unannounced random drug testing throughout the entire year, including summer sessions," according to the proposal the UO released to The Register-Guard on Friday. "Student-athletes will be selected for testing using a random number system. Little or no notice may be given for a forthcoming test. Every student-athlete shall be subject to random tests administered under these rules." A urine or "oral fluids" sample will be collected and separated into A and B samples. If the A sample shows traces of an illicit substance or performance-enhancing drug, an athlete will be able to request that the B sample be tested, at his or her own cost. The new policy also outlines a "safe harbor for self-reporting," under which an athlete would receive counseling and a psychological assessment to determine the extent of the problem. That could not be used to avoid a random test, however. Oregon's current four-strike policy for the use of recreational drugs would remain in place. The first triggers "counseling and education about substance abuse," the second requires the signing of a "behavior modification contract," the third results in a half-season suspension and the fourth leads to dismissal from the team and loss of scholarship. For performance-enhancing drugs, an athlete is suspended for a year after the first positive test, and dismissed after the second. An athlete is immediately dismissed if found to be selling or providing illegal drugs. The university estimated that administration of the new program would cost about $35,000 per year. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom