GLEE CLUB MEMBERS - OUR NEXT TARGET IN THE WAR ON DRUGS

It is as American as soccer and as logical as Reagan's trickle-down
economics. The land of the free and home of the brave now can be assured
that no high-school student involved in competitive after- school
activities will be smoking or snorting any illegal drugs. No more honor
choir students on crack or those rambunctious glee-clubbers on Ecstasy. We
can all breathe a sigh of relief.

Recently, the Supreme Court voted 5-4 to allow random drug testing in high
schools. In many schools across the nation, these drug tests are mandatory
for anyone involved in extracurricular activities. The justices believe
that "schools' interest in ridding their campuses of drugs outweighs an
individual's right to privacy." Not only is this ruling an affront to
individual liberties, but it could possibly generate a backlash against
extracurricular activities.

Anyone familiar with the Bill of Rights can see that the Supreme Court's
ruling is a clear and unmitigated attack on the inalienable rights of
individuals to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures. The Fourth
Amendment to the Constitution guarantees individuals the right to be secure
in their persons, and it is hard to think of anything more invasive than
being forced to give a sample of your bodily fluid.

Could it also be possible that we are testing the wrong group of students?
After all, drug problems are not typically found in students involved in
extracurricular activities. If we were going to impose mandatory
blood-pressure tests, would we just check the people who were of average or
below-average weight and wave the overweight population on to the Old
Country Buffet? Not likely. While no one is advocating mandatory drug
testing of rebellious outsiders who refuse to join the school play, it
stands to reason that rather than punish students involved in activities,
perhaps we should reward them with our trust.

For this reason, the Supreme Court's decision could be the determining
factor in a young student who is trying to decide between drugs and the
discus. This ruling is detrimental to the goal of eliminating drugs in
schools and will only be looked at with disdain from high- school students
across the country, nerd, jock, rebel, or cheerleader.

The way to combat drug-use in schools is to make students feel wanted and
respected. Extra-curricular activities themselves are supposed to serve as
an "anti-drug" rather than an excuse to force teenagers to urinate in a
cup. In the end, the only thing the Supreme Court will accomplish is
decreasing interest in extracurricular activities and generating
ambivalence from not only our youth, but also those Americans out there
that still believe in individual freedoms.