At Guilford, student-athletes and cheerleaders must submit to random drug testing according to National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) rules if they wish to compete at the Division III level.Once every semester five percent of every team must undergo random drug testing. The five percent rule means that players competing on a smaller team, like the tennis or golf teams, have a greater chance of being chosen.

The student-athlete does not have to be tested if he does not want to and the school must have the student sign a waiver in order to test him. The catch, of course, is that in order to participate in the sport, the student must sign this waiver. Failure to agree to testing means not playing.

Furthermore, refusal to take a test after being chosen counts as a positive result and leads to a 30-day, in-season suspension as well as eventual urinalysis.

A company called Medscreen tests the selected athletes and gives the results back to the school.

If the tests come up negative, then there are no consequences. If the test is positive, however, then there are repercussions.

If the student openly admits to drug use, then he or she will be placed in counseling at the least after the extent of drug use and what types of drugs were being used is ascertained.

A first positive test also leads to counseling and random testing during the period of counseling. In this case, the student will be allowed to continue to participate in his sport as long as the drug involved is not cocaine, heroine, or hallucinogens, including ecstasy.

If the athlete tests positive again, it leads to an in-season, 30-day suspension along with counseling and random testing.

The third time an athlete tests positive results in a one-year suspension along with treatment. After one year, the student may apply for reinstatement, which may or may not be granted.

These rules and regulations are clearly laid out on the school’s Web site.

Despite the clarity and transparency of these rules, some students still find contention with the drug testing policy.

“I’ve been chosen twice for drug testing, along with several other athletes,” said senior tennis player William Mason-Dees. “I feel the odds of this happening randomly are very slim and that the trainers are targeting athletes who they think might use drugs.”

“I find it hard to believe that it’s random,” agreed junior tennis player Mary Simpson. “I was chosen twice for the drug test.”

Head Athletic Trainer Gary Rizza could not disagree more.

“The process is totally random,” said Rizza, who explained that the training staff uses a bingo machine to choose athletes’ names.

Each athlete is assigned a number corresponding to a number on a ball, and then the balls are shuffled around and picked out at random.

“We might as well draw names from a hat,” said Rizza.

“It’s totally random,” agreed Athletic Director Tom Palombo.

Palombo also discussed the reasons for testing, besides the fact that the NCAA mandates testing.

“It’s not a punishment,” said Palombo. “It’s about education and prevention.”

Furthermore, Palombo discussed that the testing helps keep athletes safe in the physically demanding world of college sports. He explained that college sports are strenuous and that Guilford does not want any athlete putting himself at risk if he or she is using drugs.

“We care about the safety of the athlete, ” said Rizza. “We want them to be aware and educated.