SENATE SEEKS REPLACEMENT DRUG POLICY

A new committee will investigate alternatives to Emory's pre-employment
drug testing policy, the University Senate decided Tuesday.

In making its decision to form a new committee, the Senate skirted an
Employee Council recommendation to suspend the 6-month-old policy outright.

Following nearly two hours of debate, the Senate voted 19-2 in favor of the
motion, made by John Snarey, professor of human development and ethics at
Candler School of Theology. The motion calls for the creation of an ad hoc
committee of about six to eight Senate members to research and propose a
"more focused" alternative to the one in place. Currently, the policy
requires all potential staff hires to submit to a drug test. Faculty
members and students are exempt from any drug testing.

The committee must make its recommendation by the last Senate meeting in April.

But the Senate did not actually vote upon the Employee Council's
recommendation to suspend the current policy pending a full consultative
review. The Council approved that recommendation, drafted by the Carter
Center, with only one opposing vote at its December meeting.

By "more focused," Snarey said he hopes any new policy will limit future
testing -- if the committee recommends any -- to certain staff, including
Emory Police officers, heavy machinery operators and staffers with access
to residence halls.

Tuesday's debate was an extension of discussions from the previous Senate
meeting Jan. 28, when two hours of debate ended in a vote to table
discussion of the policy until Tuesday's meeting.

Before the meeting, Employee Council members distributed a thick
informational packet with responses to an informal survey about employee
feelings on the current policy. The Council reported that of 234 responses,
44 supported the new policy, 114 opposed the new policy, 63 thought faculty
should be included and 13 had no opinion.

University President William M. Chace described Tuesday's lengthy
discussion as "extraordinarily productive and illuminating." He stressed
that drugs remain one of the United States' biggest problems, with more
than $60 billion in productivity lost. He added that two of Emory's main
employers, Director of Facilities Management Bob Hascall and Senior Vice
President and Dean for Campus Life John Ford, fully supported the policy.

Vice President for Human Resources Alice Miller, one of the architects of
the current policy, said Emory was forced to employ drug testing, as all
other major employers in Atlanta already used drug screening. She pointed
to the 28 applicants to Emory's work force who failed the drug test and
were subsequently rejected. Without drug testing, Miller said, Emory is
vulnerable.

Others pointed to the Feb. 7 arrest of Caroline Cook, a University
custodial worker charged with possession of marijuana with intent to
distribute, as proof of a drug problem at Emory. The actual statistics of
drug use among Emory employees, however, are confidential.

Outgoing Student Government Association President Chris Richardson said one
staff incident involving drugs is overshadowed by student drug use, which
is not covered by the policy.

"We caught 30 staff members using drugs," Richardson said. "But I can get
you triple that number of students who use drugs."

Professor of English John Bugge, president of the Emory chapter of the
American Association of University Professors, argued against the policy,
reiterating the AAUP's opposition to drug testing. Other organizations,
including four presidential commissions, SGA and the student chapter of the
American Civil Liberties Union, signed onto the Employee Council's
resolution or expressed support for it.

Snarey, who will chair the ad hoc committee, said the motion was a good
compromise that respected all the points of view in the debate and captured
the spirit of the Employee Council's recommendation.

"I feel confident that we're making sure all voices are heard," Snarey
said. "We're aiming to protect the University, and we're aiming to protect
individuals' civil rights. It's a matter of balancing."