While members of the UNM community question the drug testing of student athletes, those involved in the process on campus agree it is a necessary ingredient in maintaining a fair playing field and preserving the credibility of college sports.
David Binder, UNM's head athletic trainer, said that two different kinds of drug testing occur at the University, NCAA-imposed testing and those conducted by UNM itself.
He said that while the NCAA visits every university in the nation once a year and tests players on three or four varsity sports teams, including football and men and women's track and field, UNM reserves the right to randomly test all varsity sports at its discretion.
"Drug testing is an important ingredient in upholding the credibility and honor of college sports," Binder said. "It is an effective means of leveling the playing field and easing the athlete's mind that the person standing across from them does not have any unfair advantages."
According to its Web site, the NCAA drug testing program was created in 1986 to protect the health and safety of student athletes and to ensure that no one participant might have an artificially induced advantage or be pressured to use chemical substances.
Rocky Long, UNM's head football coach, said that drug testing is an effective way of policing collegiate athletics and keeping the playing field fair as well as a tracking student athletes in danger of using prohibited substances.
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"It allows us to educate and counsel promising athletes that may be going down the wrong way in life," Long said.
Both the NCAA and University-sanctioned tests look for stimulants such as cocaine and ephedrine, anabolic agents including testosterone and steroids, diuretics and illegal street drugs such as marijuana and heroin.
The NCAA also administers random testing at all NCAA Championships and bowl games.
Binder said that UNM has a stringent policy regarding drug infractions designed to provide athletes every opportunity to make up for their mistake.
He said that upon the first positive test, an athlete is subject to mandatory counseling. After a second positive drug test, the athlete is suspended from competing in their sport for two weeks and is required to attend additional counseling and after a third positive drug test, the athlete is eliminated from any further competition indefinitely.
The NCAA's policy regarding its drug tests is much more strict, stating that athletes who test positive for illegal drug use are suspended from competition for one year and also lose one year of eligibility.
Ruben Douglas, UNM basketball standout and the nation's leading scorer, said that drug testing is not only fair but that it is a privilege to be a college athlete and that athletes should do all they can to represent their university to the best of their ability.
"If the school is willing to make an investment in an athlete's talent, that athlete had better be prepared to hold up their end of the deal," Douglas said. "It is something that must be done to uphold the traditions set forth by the athletes that came before us and as an athlete I appreciate everything that is done to keep our sports fair and clean."
However, many students believe that drug testing of college athletes is wrong and that it places athletes in a negative light.
"There has been no precedent saying that athletes are more inclined to use drugs than any other group that represents the University," said Donovan Kabalka, a senior majoring in print journalism.
"Not only is it a violation of their privacy and basic rights, but it places negative connotations on the athletes themselves," Kabalka said. "Every student that goes into the public is representing the University, if there is a concern about misrepresenting the school, all student groups should be subjected to such tests."
