Drug Testing

Drug Testing Policy

 

The administration of Marshalltown Community College recognizes a responsibility to ensure each student-athlete a safe, healthy, and supportive educational environment. Part of the administration’s responsibility is to periodically take necessary precautions, which provide for the welfare and safety of our student-athletes, coaching staff, sports medicine staff, administration, and support personnel. Unfortunately, substance abuse is a serious problem in our society. Drug use can be detrimental to the physical and mental well-being of our student-athletes and the colleges support personnel. It is our desire to discourage the use of illegal, illegally obtained, and performance enhancing drugs and to provide a learning environment that is drug free at every level of the educational and athletic process.

 

MCC student-athletes are viewed as leaders and role models and, as such, are respected and emulated by other individuals in the MCC Community. Leadership brings additional responsibilities. While off campus, student-athletes represent the University and depict its character. Therefore it is expected that individuals at MCC exhibit leadership qualities and respectable character while off campus, as well as on campus. With this in mind, our drug policy includes a random testing procedure for all student-athletes in all sports. Every effort will be made to administer this policy in a reasonable, fair, and equitable manner. Please read the following policy and sign the Drug Screening Policy consent form. If you have any further questions concerning any part of this drug policy, please contact the Director of Athletics, at 641-844-5685.

Purpose

1. To establish and define written policy and procedures for MCC to: A) educate eligible student-athletes as to the dangers of drug abuse, B) periodically drug screen a select number of eligible student-athletes, and C) drug screen any eligible student-athlete where a reasonable suspicion exists concerning unlawful use of controlled substances.
2. To promote the health, academic and athletic progress of each student-athlete at MCC.
3. To encourage eligible individuals to develop healthy, responsible lifestyles.
4. To discourage any drug use and abuse by eligible student-athletes at MCC.
5. To identify any eligible student-athlete who may be using illegal drugs or controlled substances and to identify the illegal drug or controlled substance.
6. To provide reasonable precautions to ensure that each eligible student-athlete is exposed to safe and effective academic and athletic environments by minimizing the dangers associated with drug abuse.
7. To provide reasonable safeguards in order that every eligible student-athlete is medically competent to participate in college related activities.
8. To re-emphasize to eligible student-athletes their responsibility as a positive role model, both on and off campus. 

Definitions

1. Controlled substance – any substance as defined by the NJCAA’s list of banned-drug classes. The list consists of substances generally purported to be performance enhancing and/or potentially harmful to the health and safety of the student-athlete.
2.  Positive Test – The initial drug test shall be a urine specimen collected in a container designed to detect prohibited or controlled substances. A drug screening test will be considered positive once the confirmation or second test has been completed from the same specimen and confirms the results of the initial urine test. A positive test is defined as a test which indicates, in the opinion of the outside laboratory performing the testing, that an eligible student-athlete has used a prohibited or controlled substance based on traces of that substance detected in the student-athlete’s urine specimen. A drug screening will also be considered positive if it is discovered by the outside laboratory that the provided urine sample has been altered or where foreign substance have been added to the sample in an effort to destroy or disguise traces of prohibited substances.
3.  Eligible Student-Athletes – any student-athlete participating in intercollegiate athletics at Grace University. This also includes any student-athlete who is ineligible by NJCAA guidelines, but is still listed on the roster of any team.
4. Reasonable suspicion – is defined as the quantity of proof or evidence that is more than intuition or strong feeling, but less that probable cause. Such reasonable suspicion must be based on specific contemporaneous, articulate observations concerning the appearance, behavior, speech, or body odors of the student-athlete. The observations may include indications of the chronic and/or withdrawal effects of prohibited substances or any of the following.
   1. Reduced quality of academic or athletic performance;
   2. Patterns of unexcused absence from academic classes or athletic meetings;
   3.  Inability to get along with others; excessive withdrawal or isolation;
   4. Frequent tardiness to academic classes or athletic meetings;
   5. Decreased manual dexterity;
   6. Impaired short-term memory;
   7. Periods of unusual hyperactivity, irritability, or drowsiness;
   8. When a denoted administrator, coach, or support staff has suspicion through the sense of smell, sight or sound, or;
   9. Presence or possession by a student-athlete of illegal or controlled drugs or drug-related paraphernalia.
5. Incident – Shall be defined as a positive drug test, or a situation where a student-athlete covered under this policy is determined to be using or in possession of a controlled substance at an event as defined under this policy.
6. Refusal to Submit to Testing – shall include any or all of the following:
   1. Failure to provide adequate urine for prohibited substances testing without a valid medical explanation after he or she has received notice of the requirement for urine testing; or
   2. Engaging in conduct that obstructs or interferes with the testing process; or
   3. Failure or refusal to execute the required forms provided in conjunction with the receipt of this policy or which are a part of the testing; or
   4. Failure to be readily available for requested testing; and/or
   5. Failure to report to, and undergo prohibited substances testing as required;
   6. Any refusal to submit to testing will be considered to be a positive drug test and all appropriate action will be taken.
7. Events – this program applies to the following events:
   1. All on campus activities whether during or after normal school hours, and both between and within semesters;
   2. All school related field trips, activities, athletic events and other extracurricular events, whether such activities are on or off campus, or;
   3. Student-athletes’ misconduct relating to the use of illegal drugs or controlled substances outside of the University or the University’s athletic setting.

Periodic Random Drug Testing

MCC will periodically drug screen a select number of student-athletes. Several drug-screening tests may be conducted during the course of the academic year. The NJCAA may also require a drug-screening test if a team is selected for post-season championship play. The drug screening tests may test for any or all of the drugs contained in the NJCAA Banned-Drug Classes. The drugs included in the testing procedure may vary from test-to-test and athlete-to-athlete at the discretion of the Director of Athletics or administration of MCC. Some student-athletes may be tested for banned substances that are of specific concern in their sport.

Reasonable Suspicion Drug Testing

MCC reserves the right to test any eligible student-athlete for the use of prohibited drugs and controlled substances when actions of said individual student-athlete are such as to provide reasonable suspicion of the use of prohibited drugs or controlled substances.  Any coach, MCC administrator, MCC support staff, MCC faculty or parent may report reasonable suspicion to the Director of Athletics who will, along with the referring party, decide on the need for drug screening. Reports should be in writing stating the incident, times, dates, and involved parties.

Costs

Costs associated with the drug-screening program will be covered as follows:

1. The initial drug-screening fee will be assumed by the MCC Athletic Department
2. The cost for a second test of the same specimen used for confirmation of the first “positive” test will be assumed by the MCC Athletic Department.
3. A challenge by the student-athlete of the drug screening, where subsequent drug screening is requested by an outside private laboratory, will be the responsibility of the student-athlete or his/her parent (s) or guardian (s).

Marshalltown Community College Drug Testing Procedure and Recommendations

MCC requires that each student-athlete sign a drug screening consent form. This allows MCC to select student-athletes from all of its athletic teams.

The Athletic Trainer and Athletic Director will randomly select student-athletes from a database. The Athletic Trainer and Athletic Director will select one or more student-athletes from each team for testing. There will be no prior notice of the date or time of such testing. Student-athletes who have been randomly selected will be notified the day of the test date. The student-athlete must then confirm his/her test date and time with the site coordinator (person denoted by the Athletic Director as coordinator of the administration of the test). The student-athlete will be informed by the Head Athletic Trainer that failure to attend and take part in the drug-testing program will automatically be assumed as a positive test and fall under the disciplinary actions of a positive test, unless the miss is determined to be of extenuating circumstances. A committee composed of the Athletic Trainer and the Athletic Director, will determine extenuating circumstances. The student-athlete will be required to submit to drug testing within one week of the original drug test and will be responsible for any additional cost.

The method of testing for banned substances may include urinalysis or saliva. The sample will be collected and tested by a private laboratory utilizing generally accepted methods. The collection and coding of specimen samples will be executed in such a manner as to insure confidentiality. Appropriate “chain of custody” methods will be exercised to insure complete integrity of the specimen. Prescription or over-the-counter medications shall be disclosed to the University or private laboratory prior to providing a urine sample or on the day immediately following the drug screen procedure. Medications disclosed after the drug screen procedure may require written confirmation from the prescribing physician or pharmacist if requested by the Athletic Director. It is recognized that some legal, acceptable medications may result in a “positive” test result and will not be cause to implement any type of disciplinary procedures. The Head Athletic Trainer, in consultation with the Athletic Director, will determine the site and time of the drug test. Once the student-athlete has reported for the sample collection, he/she must remain until an adequate urine sample has been acquired. The sample will be collected and sealed for transportation by the collecting agent. The laboratory results of the drug screening will be confidential and disclosed on a need-to-know basis only.

Disciplinary Procedures

Any student-athlete whom receives a positive drug test, reveals illegal drug use, or is convicted of any drug possession charge will be subject to the following repercussions.

1. First positive drug test
   1. Consultation with a licensed drug and alcohol counselor
      1. Must be completed within two weeks of the incident
      2. Athlete must authorize the counselor to provide verification of appointments, recommended treatment, and follow-up compliance to the Head Athletic Trainer
   2. Athlete will be required to complete any treatment recommended by the counselor
   3. Athlete will be subject to non-random testing, including testing during every random drug test session
   4. Athlete will be required to perform 20 hours of community service within 30 days of the positive drug test
   5. Athlete will be required to obey any other sanction put in place by their Head Coach
2. Second positive drug test
   1. Complete counseling as required for first positive test
   2. Immediate suspension from all team activities for one calendar year
   3. Potential loss of scholarship
   4. After the one-year suspension, the athlete must appeal to a committee consisting of an athletics administrator, the head coach of their sport, and the head athletic trainer for possible reinstatement.

Failure to comply with the requirements for testing positive for a drug test will result in immediate suspension and loss of athletic scholarship for one academic year.

Mandatory requirements of each student-athlete 

1. Each student-athlete must sign a MCC Drug Consent Form, prior to the start of their athletic season.
2. Each athletic team must meet with a member of the athletic training staff for a detailed explanation of the College’s drug testing policy.