DIVISION III CONSIDERS PILOT PROGRAM COMBINING DRUG TESTING AND DRUG
AND ALCOHOL EDUCATION

DALLAS - The Division III Management Council endorsed a comprehensive
drug testing pilot program, including drug and alcohol education,
during its July 17-18 meeting in Dallas.

The Division III Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, which also met
in Dallas, also supports the pilot program, which would involve
nearly one-quarter of the division's schools.

The program, which must be approved in August by the Division III
Presidents Council before it can be implemented during the 2007-08
academic year, would devote about $400,000 annually, allocated during
2007-2009, to an education and testing program involving up to 100
institutions.

Management Council members supported an approach in which voluntarily
participating institutions would implement a model educational
program for their student-athletes. Student-athletes at those schools
would then be randomly tested for performance-enhancing substances
and, potentially, street drugs. There would not be any penalties
associated with a positive test during the pilot phase of the program.

Survey data would be collected in an effort that would broadly seek
to measure the impact of both education and testing on substance and
alcohol abuse. The NCAA national office would step up efforts to make
all Division III institutions and student-athletes more aware of
existing educational programs and resources as part of the
initiative, and would allocate additional funds to those programs,
beginning in 2006-07.

The Presidents Council will consider the proposal during its Aug. 3
meeting in Indianapolis.