Random drug testing
should be eliminated
The University Senate today may recommend revoking
the Athletic Department's mandatory random drug-testing
policy. Although the Senate’s decision would not be a man
date, a ruling to eliminate the current policy would be
encouraging.
The motion, forwarded by Student Senator Dan Thoma,
would call for the Athletic Department to limit drug testing
for athletes only in the case of probable cause. It also recom
mends the department strengthen its current drug education
and counseling programs.
(Thoma also has suggested all athletes go through the
IMPACT program, a drug-education course. Although the
initial cost of doing this would be greater than the existing
drug-testing program, future costs would be substantially
lower because only new athletes would have to take the
course.)
The motion proposes a sensible alternative to the cur
rent drug-testing policy — a policy we believe is too ex
treme. Presently, all athletes are required to submit urine
samples to be eligible to play. If an athlete should refuse to
consent to a drug test, he or she essentially is presumed guil
ty of taking drugs and is barred from participating in school
athletics. Similarly, if a student withdraws consent to be
tested, the Athletic Department again presumes guilt.
The obvious objection to this practice is that a student
must waive constitutional rights in order to participate in a
University program. The Athletic Department’s current
policy assumes an athlete is guilty of doing drugs until the
athlete proves otherwise — in other words, student athletes
are guilty until proven innocent. This policy is nothing less
than coercion and should be revoked.
Moreover, questions have been raised about the kind of
testing being done. Currently, the Athletic Department only
tests for street drugs such as cocaine, marijuana, speed, etc.,
and a few over-the-counter prescription drugs. The Athletic
Department does not, however, test for steroids and certain
other performance enhancing substances.
The University maintains that it does not test for these
types of drugs because it would be too expensive. There is
good reason to suspect the use of steroids among college
athletes is widespread, and the adverse effects steroids have
on the body is well documented. If the University’s main
concern lies in the health of student athletes — as it claims it
is — then it should be testing for these drugs.
The University has sent drafts of the current drug
testing policy to the state attorney general for review. The
University should not wait for the attorney general’s fin
dings, however. If the current drug-testing policy is found to
be unconstitutional, the University has inadvertantly set
itself up for potential lawsuits by disgruntled athletes
who’ve unwillingly consented to drug testing.
Another concern is that if the Athletic Department's
current drug-testing procedure is not modified, other groups
of the student body may be targeted for drug testing.
Although unlikely, it would be a small step for the Universi
ty to make drug testing mandatory for all students. The
University’s drug-testing policy already has gone too far; we
hope the Senate recommends revoking it.
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‘‘The administration is anxious to sign a damage control... I mean
ARMS control agreement.”
Letters
Understanding
When I decided to return to
school at the age of 39, I was ac
cepted to five graduate math
departments. 1 chose the
University over the other four
because my conversations with
faculty members at all five
schools showed me that the
math department here was more
oriented toward human values
than any of the others.
A year and a half of ex
perience has emphatically rein
forced that initial impression.
My contacts with department
head Charlie Wright and his
assistant Mary Fulton have
demonstrated that concern for
individual students is a con
scious policy of the department.
The tragic story of the suicide
of John Fisher, as published
March 5, contained unwar
ranted. unverified criticisms of
the department's curriculum
and its treatment of Mr. Fisher.
No statement from any
knowledgeable math depart
ment person was given.
Where did Alan Stein get the
credentials to claim that Fisher
had to study things which he
."shouldn’t have to study?"
When topics for math courses
are chosen, it is done by ex
perienced educators, with input
Oregon Daily
Emerald
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White, Serena Williams, X Kang Xle
from other affected departments
(such as the education school in
this case). Did Fisher’s friend
have some special expertise
which was lacking in our
faculty?
Any responsible article
would not have confined itself
to one-sided quotes from an
understandably upset, but ig
norant person. The fact is that
any faculty or staff member in
the math department would
have gone to great lengths to
prevent what happened to John
Fisher. They (we!) are all de
cent, caring people.
Stan VerNooy
GTF, math
Time travel
It’s not solely the professional
historian’s domain to speculate
about the past to explain the
present. In fact, we all can and
do just that. That’s why in the
case of Blake Louis Sliter, it
seems imperative that we try to
rationalize our campus’ biggest
phenomenon pretty soon, lest
his legacy grows beyond belief,
and then we WILL have to hire a
professional.
Conceive with me now that
we’ve drifted back through
time, through the mist and
haziness normally associated
with such travel, and we’re sud
denly unaccounted-for guests at
the Sliter’s about 10 years ago.
Listen... you can hear Mrs.
Sliter pounding on the
bathroom door.
“Blake! Blake, open this
door! What are you doing in
there?’’
“Urn, I’m writing a letter to
the editor, Mother.”
Blake, if you don’t open this
door right now. . .!”
Well, safe to say, Blake has re
mained adroitly indisposed of
ever since. Even today, one can
see in his letters the cathartic
release they impart him.
Unfortunately though, the
victims of his barbs are real peo
ple with real feelings, and, ac
cording to his latest letter, when
some of these people call him to
get their own cathartic release,
they’re instead further wracked
by having to talk to his
machine.
Blake: we’re glad you’re
psychologically healthy, but
you’d better learn that others
can be driven over the edge.
Nobody likes to be labeled,
especially those that can’t or
won’t adequately defend their
social practices in this forum.
Tim laques
Undeclared
Apron strings
I am glad that I am not an
Australian. They are so willing
to give up "petty” freedoms
without a struggle. We
Americans have a Bill of Rights
that keeps the president, court,
Legislature, and private citizen
organizations form abusing our
individual freedoms.
Braillie, in his letter (ODE,
Mar. 3). states that the monetary
savings by the majority of
Australians through a man
datory seat belt law outweighs
the cost to individual freedom
for the minority.
This is the exact reason our
founding fathers, not the
wealthy or the politicians, but
the common citizen, insisted on
a Bill of Rights as a condition
for accepting the Constitution.
America is ruled by the ma
jority without oppression of the
minority. Perhaps the seat belt
law is a petty issue, but the con
sequences it has for the govern
ment’s ability to control the ac
tions of the individual make it a
harmful precedent.
Cost to society has become a
good excuse for controling ac
tions which would otherwise be
considered the risk of the in
dividual. This motive for
preventing the free exercise of
one’s rights could be extended
to things such as tobacco usage,
even when it doesn’t interfere
with someone else. Both public
health and private organiza
tions lose an enormous amount
of money due to tobacco usage.
Prohibition could also extend to
activities which are considered
dangerous, like sky diving.
1 get tired of people who think
they need to take care of me. 1
don’t want to trade the apron
strings of my mother for the
government.
D.M. Odell
>1_U 10117