UNNEEDED REFORM

The Department Of Athletics' Current Drug Policy For Student-Athletes Isn't
Too Harsh Or Too Lenient In Using A "Two-Strike" System As A Basis.

Evaluation of the student-athlete drug policy shouldn't lead to harsher
penalties for violators but should uphold the current system, which gives
athletes a second chance.

Director of Athletics Dick Baddour has initiated an investigation of the
current drug policy. A committee will meet next week to review the policy,
which allows athletes two strikes before termination of athletic eligibility.

Baddour has stated that re-evaluation doesn't necessarily mean change --
and in the interest of fairness, administrators should be careful not make
any substantial alterations to the policy.

Student athletes undergo a rigorous standard of drug testing that regular
students don't have to face. Tests are unannounced and can affect all or
one member of a given team.

It would be unfair to place any greater burden on what could be a one-time
mistake. The current policy gives administrators a chance to help athletes
who fail the test.

That any athlete would fail a drug test seems somewhat ludicrous -- they
know testing is part of being an athlete -- but mistakes happen nonetheless.

The "two strikes" policy for student-athletes is fair, and it ensures that
athletes have a chance to make up for their mistakes.

The Department of Athletics' policy allows student-athletes a second chance
in exchange for holding them to more rigorous standards than the average
student. If an athlete stumbles a second time -- despite the counseling and
punitive measures enforced after a first offense -- University officials
are perfectly justified in revoking that student's athletic eligibility.

Given the University's rigorous examination of athletes' lives, that second
chance is a vital mechanism. It gives athletes an opportunity for
redemption in exchange for the loss of privacy.

The University's drug policy has received a great deal of attention this
year, owing in part to the arrests of four football players due to drug
charges.

But these unusual events should not lead the committee to enact a harsher
policy. As it is, the athletic drug policy is the most just option for
athletes.

University officials shouldn't try to make the rules any more stringent
than they already are.