Drug testing sparks VSA debate

Brian Farkas News Editor

Ilyse Kramer Staff Writer

A debate concerning the rationale behind a new drug testing policy aimed at student-athletes dominated the April 1 meeting of the Vassar Student Association (VSA) Council. Expected to be implemented in August 2007, this policy has faced opposition from certain members of the student body due to privacy concerns. At the request of the VSA, Head Athletic Trainer Jeff Carter attended the meeting to explain the goals of the policy.

The issue first arose two years ago, when Carter became aware that certain student-athletes were taking “hard core performance-enhancing drugs” and realized that no procedures existed to handle the problem. The students denied drug use “to the bitter end,” so Carter and other members of the Athletics Department formed the Drug Testing and Education Program Policy Committee and solicited drug policies from 20-25 other schools to determine how Vassar should respond to future instances of drug use.

“We were one of the first Division III schools to do it,” Carter said. “Division I policies are too strict for our purposes. We wanted to create a policy that would fit Vassar, but also fit National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) guidelines.”

NCAA guidelines ban Division III athletes from using certain substances, but leave it to individual colleges to test their own athletes. Other schools against which Vassar competes, like Skidmore College, have chosen not to conduct drug testing.

After two years, the committee sent a draft of the policy to an independent branch of the NCAA responsible for both reviewing legal policies and performing drug tests. After approval, the policy returned to Vassar to await review by the President of the College and other interested parties.

Administrators also want to gather students’ input. To that end, the Athletics Department is planning to hold town hall meetings for student athletes to discuss the policy as a working document open to revision and suggestions from the student body. The Athletics Department’s Athletics Drug Testing and Education Program Policy Committee plans to meet twice a year to examine the policy.

The VSA Council intends to contribute to this discussion by composing a memorandum and expressing its feelings on the new drug testing policy. Those feelings, however, vary widely. Council was unable to reach a consensus on the content of the letter or its position on drug testing at its April 1 meeting.

Lathrop House President Amalia Sax-Bolder ’08, for example, a member of the women’s squash team, believed that the Council was overstating privacy concerns. “I think we’re losing sight of the fact that this policy is talking about illegal substances,” she said. “Student-athletes sign up to follow these policies voluntarily, just like all students of the College agree to follow certain substance regulations.”

Jewett House President Christopher Smith ’07 disagreed. “Students don’t sign away their bodies to Vassar. We need to consider the ethical implications of this sort of policy.”

VSA President Abel McDonnell ’07 called for open discussion of the issue among athletes and larger student body. “This policy is a significant one, and we need to make sure all voices are heard.” To that end, VSA Council will be holding an open forum for discussion at next Sunday’s meeting at 7 p.m. in the College Center MPR. All students, particularly athletes, are invited to attend and share their perspective.