DRUG TESTS POSITIVE FOR 8 KSC ATHLETES

Eight out of 20 Keene State College athletes recently tested positive
for marijuana under a pilot drug-testing program run by the National
Collegiate Athletic Association at some Division III institutions.

Keene State Athletic Director John Ratliff described the large number
of positive tests as "alarming" and "eye-opening."

Twenty student-athletes from three Keene State teams were tested as
part of the pilot program - about 5 percent of the total athletes at
the college. The college did not disclose which three teams were tested.

The student-athletes will not face sanctions from the positive
results because the tests were conducted through a pilot program and
the students are not identified in the study, Ratliff said.

Due to the results, he said the college is now considering putting
its own random drug-testing program into place next year for its 400
student-athletes until a possible NCAA program starts.

"If we do decide to go with it next year, we think it would be a
deterrent," Ratliff said.

Keene State College President Helen F. Giles-Gee said a regular
drug-testing program would help prepare student-athletes for the
professional world.

"Many businesses now require drug testing prior to employment as well
as for continued employment," she said in a press release.

Keene State was one of 80 Division III institutions that volunteered
to take part in the two-year NCAA pilot program for in-season drug
testing that began this semester, Ratliff said. The school received
$1,000 for participating.

Athletes in Division III are subject to random testing by the NCAA if
they qualify for post-season tournaments. Ratliff said the NCAA is
considering testing during the regular season; athletes in Divisions
I and II are already subject to drug tests in the regular season.

Ratliff said he was pleased there was no indication of steroid use
among the athletes, and noted the results reflected only a small
percentage of athletes.

"I'd love to test 100 (student-athletes) and say, 'Okay, let's see
what we've got,'" Ratliff said.

Five Keene State male soccer players were recently tested during the
NCAA Division III tournament, and didn't test positive for any
prohibited drug, according to the press release from Keene State.

All Keene State student-athletes are required to sign a consent form
to be tested post-season for drugs by the NCAA, Ratliff said, but
could voluntarily sign on this year to be tested as part of the pilot program.

Ratliff said the college will discuss what type of sanctions students
would face under a possible Keene State drug testing program.

According to NCAA rules, a student-athlete can lose one year of
eligibility and 365 days of playing time for one positive test.

The pilot study also includes an educational component directed at
student-athletes, and Ratliff said Keene State already has regular
presentations on alcohol and drug issues to discourage students from
using prohibited substances.

And though the results were surprising, Ratliff said the pilot study
results will help the college learn more about its student-athletes,
and would be used as a baseline for future tests.

"We volunteered for (the study) and part of that was to see, is there
an issue on campus," he said. "We hear rumors both ways ... but now
we've got some factual basis."