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.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom