Pubdate: Fri, 28 Feb 2003
Source: Emory Wheel, The (Emory U, GA Edu)
Copyright: 2003 The Emory Wheel
Contact:  http://www.emorywheel.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2781
Author: Michael de la Merced

SENATE SEEKS REPLACEMENT DRUG POLICY

A new committee will investigate alternatives to Emory's pre-employment 
drug testing policy, the University Senate decided Tuesday.

In making its decision to form a new committee, the Senate skirted an 
Employee Council recommendation to suspend the 6-month-old policy outright.

Following nearly two hours of debate, the Senate voted 19-2 in favor of the 
motion, made by John Snarey, professor of human development and ethics at 
Candler School of Theology. The motion calls for the creation of an ad hoc 
committee of about six to eight Senate members to research and propose a 
"more focused" alternative to the one in place. Currently, the policy 
requires all potential staff hires to submit to a drug test. Faculty 
members and students are exempt from any drug testing.

The committee must make its recommendation by the last Senate meeting in April.

But the Senate did not actually vote upon the Employee Council's 
recommendation to suspend the current policy pending a full consultative 
review. The Council approved that recommendation, drafted by the Carter 
Center, with only one opposing vote at its December meeting.

By "more focused," Snarey said he hopes any new policy will limit future 
testing -- if the committee recommends any -- to certain staff, including 
Emory Police officers, heavy machinery operators and staffers with access 
to residence halls.

Tuesday's debate was an extension of discussions from the previous Senate 
meeting Jan. 28, when two hours of debate ended in a vote to table 
discussion of the policy until Tuesday's meeting.

Before the meeting, Employee Council members distributed a thick 
informational packet with responses to an informal survey about employee 
feelings on the current policy. The Council reported that of 234 responses, 
44 supported the new policy, 114 opposed the new policy, 63 thought faculty 
should be included and 13 had no opinion.

University President William M. Chace described Tuesday's lengthy 
discussion as "extraordinarily productive and illuminating." He stressed 
that drugs remain one of the United States' biggest problems, with more 
than $60 billion in productivity lost. He added that two of Emory's main 
employers, Director of Facilities Management Bob Hascall and Senior Vice 
President and Dean for Campus Life John Ford, fully supported the policy.

Vice President for Human Resources Alice Miller, one of the architects of 
the current policy, said Emory was forced to employ drug testing, as all 
other major employers in Atlanta already used drug screening. She pointed 
to the 28 applicants to Emory's work force who failed the drug test and 
were subsequently rejected. Without drug testing, Miller said, Emory is 
vulnerable.

Others pointed to the Feb. 7 arrest of Caroline Cook, a University 
custodial worker charged with possession of marijuana with intent to 
distribute, as proof of a drug problem at Emory. The actual statistics of 
drug use among Emory employees, however, are confidential.

Outgoing Student Government Association President Chris Richardson said one 
staff incident involving drugs is overshadowed by student drug use, which 
is not covered by the policy.

"We caught 30 staff members using drugs," Richardson said. "But I can get 
you triple that number of students who use drugs."

Professor of English John Bugge, president of the Emory chapter of the 
American Association of University Professors, argued against the policy, 
reiterating the AAUP's opposition to drug testing. Other organizations, 
including four presidential commissions, SGA and the student chapter of the 
American Civil Liberties Union, signed onto the Employee Council's 
resolution or expressed support for it.

Snarey, who will chair the ad hoc committee, said the motion was a good 
compromise that respected all the points of view in the debate and captured 
the spirit of the Employee Council's recommendation.

"I feel confident that we're making sure all voices are heard," Snarey 
said. "We're aiming to protect the University, and we're aiming to protect 
individuals' civil rights. It's a matter of balancing."
- ---
MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens