It’s four strikes and you’re out when it comes to all sports and testing positive for street drugs at the University of Akron.
The board of trustees voted Wednesday to approve the modifications on the university’s drug testing program for athletes. The university will continue year-round random testing but the penalties for failing a test will differ.
“We made a few changes to the policy to make them more standard to the NCAA member schools,” said UA athletic director Larry Williams. “We are tying penalties to competition. Previously the penalty was related to a suspension to an individual, but our analysis and judging from other policies just removing somebody in the off season from practice doesn’t have either a deterrent effect or a helpful effect.”
Athletes must sign a consent form to drug testing to participate in sports. Colleges set up their own standards but student athletes could also face additional testing from the NCAA.
Williams said previously the structure trying to help the student athlete was removed.
So now instead of an immediate suspension, the initial step for a failed drug test will be counseling and education.
“In our mind we want to keep the student athlete engaged in the activity, engaged in the program. We have good coaches and we have good counselors and to suspend them from association with the program doesn’t have the desired effects,” Williams said. “Repeated failed drug tests would subject the person to an increased level of suspension following one after another for progressive discipline.”
After the second failed drug test, the student athlete will be subjected a game suspension and if he or she fails a third time the suspension will reoccur, but at a much more serious level. If they fail for the fourth time, the student athlete will be dismissed from the team.
“It’s typically a street drug that we would see as the violating substance, such as marijuana,” Williams said. “We don’t have a high frequency of positive tests and we rarely have a performance enhancement violation.”
The university is more strict on the use of performing enhancement drugs such as steroids.
“When you’re facing someone who is doing steroids that person puts you in harm’s way,” he said. “It’s not only harming yourself, you’re actually putting your teammates and opponents in a compromised situation — and it’s cheating.”
Marilyn Miller can be reached at 330-996-3098 or mmiller@thebeaconjournal.com.