Drug testing for college-level athletics is a topic that has had its fair share of controversy and intrigue. On the Keene State College campus, student athletes have been required in previous years to submit to mandatory randomized drug testing–testing that has yielded some positive drug results.
As part of the initiative to continue its commitment to clean athletics, KSC has partnered with a new drug testing agency, Safety First. Safety First offers several benefits to the company the athletics department used to use, partly because it is much cheaper and also because the test results can be processed and read right on campus, in the span of five to ten minutes.
The ease with which this new drug test facilitates testing makes it easier on the part of both the coaches and the student athletes to perform their respective jobs.
[singlepic id=1615 w=320 h=240 float=right]
Since athletes are penalized for testing positive, the KSC athletics department has created an atmosphere where students are aware of the risks associated with doing drugs and are always aware that they may be drug tested more frequently than before. The cost-effectiveness of Safety First’s drug testing, along with its ability to be read on-site, means that drug testing may become a more common occurrence for these students.
Although drug testing, especially for college-level athletes, has raised concerns regarding privacy rights and the power of the school in dictating students’ personal lives, it is an important part of ensuring a clean and professional athletic environment.
With the implementation of the new drug testing equipment, Keene State College has shown its commitment to maintaining an athletics department that it can be proud of. The athletic department has made it clear that, although drug testing is a part of the student athletes’ lives during the season, testing is not necessarily a permanent fixture in the department.
Hopefully, the ease of the new drug testing will increase the responsibility of the student athletes and will help facilitate a drug-free atmosphere in the Keene State College athletic department.