DRUG TESTING PROPOSAL PASSES UNANIMOUSLY

Wagner Hopes To Implement Proposal By January 2004

A proposal limiting the drug testing of new staff to those only in
safety-sensitive jobs unanimously passed the University Senate Tuesday.
Emory's president said he would make it policy.

The Senate's proposal, which is only a recommendation, comes after more
than a year and a half of debate on the issue of pre-employment drug
testing. It would reverse current policy, which mandates the testing of all
new staff before they are hired, but exempts faculty and students.

University President James W. Wagner, who will receive the Senate's
recommendation, said he expects it will be implemented by the first of next
year.

"I will be pleased to sign the proposal," Wagner said. "It is one of my
first real actions in office, and I feel very good."

The Senate's proposal does not distinguish by title, but rather looks at
job descriptions. Both faculty and staff may be tested if in the routine
course of their job functions, they perform safety-sensitive work. This
includes operators of heavy equipment, drivers of University vehicles,
providers of campus security, those who provide animal and patient care and
all Emory Healthcare employees. Students applying for such jobs will also
be tested, as will current University employees who transfer to such jobs
within Emory.

Senate President-Elect Sharon Strocchia, who chaired the committee
addressing the drug testing policy, said the proposal allows some "wiggle
room" for positions that have been overlooked or have not yet been created.
Still, it compresses the overly broad policy that is now in place.

"Job function is the heart and soul of this particular policy," she said.

A previous recommendation by the Senate was rejected in June by
then-University President William M. Chace. It called for two levels of
testing, allowing individual divisions to test with Senate approval, while
not requiring all staffers to take the test.

Strocchia said the changes have made for a more cohesive policy.

"There's a logic to it that it didn't have before," she said.

Employee Council President Don Newsome said the compromise brought to Chace
was unreasonable because it discriminated among University divisions. That
policy passed the Senate 19-7, but was a cumbersome compromise between the
Senate and the administration that put the policy in place.

University General Counsel Kent Alexander said both he and Executive Vice
President of Finance and Administration Michael Mandl were part of the
process for the current proposal and worked with the committee throughout.

"We're on board with this," he said.

Strocchia said the committee's progress in implementing the policy was very
consultative with the administration. In the past, the committee had worked
in isolation.

Senate President John Snarey said he was "thrilled" that the proposal
passed so easily. Carter Center employee Gabrielle Mertz, who was an early
opponent of the blanket policy, said she thought the decision appeared to
be a "smart" one. And Senior Vice President and Dean of Campus Life John
Ford, who was in favor of testing for Campus Life, said his division "would
want to live up to the letter and the spirit" of the new policy.

"Our position is to go along with whatever is recommended to the rest of
the University," he said.

Alice Miller, vice president for Human Resources, said the change
represents the emerging vision of the University in providing a "very
values-based" decision. She said the revision reflects better input over time.

Newsome said he feels confident about the proposed policy.

"It was a grassroots effort that evolved," he said. "It considers job
functions rather