Pubdate: Tue, 22 Apr 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

TIME TO ACT

Today, The Senate Should Vote Against Drug Testing Represents The Majority 
Opinion Of The Wheel Editorial Board

This afternoon, the University Senate is poised to vote on Emory's 
pre-employment drug testing policy, which requires all potential employees 
to pass a urine test before they are cleared for hiring. University 
President William M. Chace has strongly hinted that he will follow the 
Senate's recommendation, meaning that this vote may be decisive in ending 
or ensuring the policy.

There is no longer any question about University sentiment. The students 
are mostly opposed, the faculty has been polled as "very concerned" and 
four presidential commissions have signed onto the Senate resolution that 
calls for revoking the policy. For any policy to be justified in the face 
of such clear opposition, its benefits must be undeniably significant. 
However, since its inception a year ago, its effect has been to deny 
roughly 30 potential employees the right to apply for a job, with the vast 
majority testing positive for marijuana.

This is the benefit Emory clings to as it stands as one of three 
Universities in the nation with such an invasive standard, one whose 
stipulated purpose is to reverse the presumption of innocence for the sake 
of weeding out a miniscule percentage of potential rabble-rousers.

If the Senate fails to pass the resolution, which calls for individual 
departments to choose if they want to test their staff, or if President 
Chace fails to follow its recommendation, then the buck will be passed to a 
future administration.But today the Senate has a chance to do its part in 
ensuring that this issue is put to rest. It should seize the opportunity 
and prove itself as a representative body that takes student and faculty 
concerns seriously and, most importantly, isn't afraid to exercise a little 
common sense.
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MAP posted-by: Beth