iPage 8
The Pendulum
Thursday, October
Health
Right of privacy, need for data are in conflict
Ion undecided on drug testing of
I
By Lisa Swim
Health Editor
■ »
•' When comedian Richard Pryor
■tet himself on fire while freebas-
cocaine a few years ago, a lot
of people thought the incident was
^Sbnny.
But nobody was laughing last
June when cocaine overdoses kill
ed Maryland basketball star Len
"Bias and Cleveland Browns foot-
tell player Don Rogers.
f I In the years between Pryor’s ac-
Kdent and the deaths of the two
Ithletes, the cocaine-abuse pro
blem in American society
^rsened. Celebrities such as ac
tors and sports stars may or may
i|>t have a worse drug problem
/Ikan the general public. It has
. jkcome clear, however, that
^astic measures to combat drug
; ifcuse are necessary.
-■ Some of the tougher measures
We now being adopted by athletic
departments at both large univer-
|ities and small colleges. These
neasures, including voluntary
|nd mandatory drug tests for
iletes, are controversial, raising
Ijuestions about the individual
player’s right to privacy and the
chool’s right to demand drug-free
performances from athletes
vhose education is subsidized by
cholarships.
Among North Carolina
Schools, East Carolina Universi-
ly and Wake Forest University
nave mandatory drug testing,
vhile N.C. State and UNC-
rhapel Hill have voluntary drug
esting.
At Elon College, athletic of-
jficials are still debating whether
■ 1 test athletes for drugs. But if the
decision to do so is made, the tests
^ill be mandatory, according to
tor. Alan White, athletic director.
iThe Issues
Is drug testing an invasion of
ivacy? Or, as Irwin Smallwood
:ently wrote in The Greensboro
News and Record, “Is drug testing
to protect the public integrity of
the business nlaking athletes rich '
■(fcd famous?”
Alongside these two contrasting
point of views is the argument that
athletes are being singled out as
drug-testing targets.
In a recent interview, Elon
athletic director White asked, “If
the college is going to start testing
athletes (for drugs), why not test
the fraternities? Why not test The
Pendulum staff?”
In fact, other sectors in society
are considering or have already
begun mandatory drugs testing of
employees. For example, in his
recent speech on drugs. President
Reagan announced that man
datory tests on federal employees,
chosen at random, would soon
begin.
On Sept. 18, a federal judge in
New Jersey ruled that mandatory
urine testing of police and
firefighters in Plainfield, N.J.,
was an unconstitutional invasion
of privacy. The Supreme Court of
the United States will probably be
the final arbiter of the invasion-
of-privacy issue. Meanwhile, the
public seems to be clamoring for
those in authority to do something
about the drug problem.
The extent of drug use among
college athletes has been studied
by the National Collegiate
Athletic Association (NCAA).
Last June 30 the NCAA reported
that on a study which claimed that
in the past five years 20 to 25 per
cent of college athletes had used
marijuana or cocaine on an
average of once a week.
In light of such reports, some
athletic administrators who once
opposed drug testing are having
second thoughts. Among them is
Elon’s AD White, who told the
News and Record last June that “I
started coming around to believe
that, if we’re going to do anything
constructive, we have to have in
formation, and the only way to
gather that information is through
testing.”
How Testing Works
Suppose for a moment Elon
began drug testing.
What tests would be used and
how much monQ' would it take to
get the program off the ground
properly?
Dr. Barry Beedle, assistant pro
fessor of physical education and
an expert on sports medicine,
said, “Drug testing is a less than
perfect science.”
He added, “In order for the
testing to be fair and as accurate
as possible, two tests must be
given and proved positive.”
These tests are the “screen test”
and the “conformation tests.” The
screen test is a urinalysis, which
detects eight basic substances in
the urine.
The conformation test takes
these basic substances and nar
rows them down to a more
specific list of possible drugs in
the urine sample.
For Elon to do drug testing in
this fashion-which both Beedle
and White said they would prefer
to do—a considerable amount of
money would be needed.
The combined cost of the
screen t and conformation tests
would be about $80 per athlete.
athletes
In addition. White said, “Elfl
would have to consider if itk
the counseling apparatus" todf^
with athletes identified as hav:^
drug problems. If it does no(,|
said, Elon would have to L
“specialized persons.”
He added, “This also doesij
include the educational mate^
needed to increase the gent;
awareness of drugs.” He sugges
that a class devoted to probli^
arising from drug abuse migfci*
effective. ^
f*l
Help, Not Punish jjp
Beedle and White agreed u
any drug testing program sbu
help persons with drug problaM
not merely punish athletes
ing away their scholarships. j||
Elon is a member of the S H
tional Association of Im|||
collegiate Athletics (NAIA).!^
NAIA and the NCAA d%ry
somewhat on penalties or si|§
tions for athletes identified^
drug abusers. T1
B^le said, “The NCAAite
only in post-season championj^
competition. Testing voluni^
but if you do not submit, youift
not play.” A
In that sense, he said, M
NCAA’s program is not rap w
“voluntary.” H
Beedle added that at uni^cip
sities with “big-time” atli^
programs, such as Florida
and the University of Miami,pB
results of drug testing real pi
within the athletic departmefLs
He said he approved of^
confidentiality and recommenpi
it for Elon if drug testing
here. ■ 12-
1|Q
BiomediV
If Elon were to begin
Laboratories “is right downl*
road and set up for testing,” ™ E
pointed out. •
He said Roche is one of thei^
labratories in the country gi
can perform the most accufrs
drug tests—the screen and Ca
conformity. *
White said that peer pressuttWB
use drugs is the same for athle4lk(
and non-athletes in college. IjB
said, “The one advantage
datory drug testing would bet*P
it would give athletes a socii^ '
acceptable reason to say ’no f