The Quinnipiac University Department of Athletics may decide to take drug testing to a new level.

The testing, already done by the NCAA through random testing at most colleges and universities, may be done more often for our Division 1 athletes.

Drug testing has been done at Quinnipiac before and according to Jack McDonald, the director of Athletics and Recreation, all Divison 1 schools are tested.

Quinnipiac may start taking it to another level, depending on funding available for the testing process.

“We want to ensure the safety of all of our athletes and performance enhancers and street drugs are very common,” McDonald said. “This is all part of being a division 1 athlete.”

The NCAA does random testing for athletes through the official rosters provided to them. They choose 6-12 students per school and test with a 2-3 day notice.

If the athletes are caught with drugs in their system, the penalties range from suspension to loss of scholarship or even expulsion from their respected university.

Track and football are the only two sports that have mandatory testing through the NCAA.

Shawn Green, Quinnipiac’s track and cross country coach, has never had an athlete of his caught with drugs in their system in his four years coaching here.

The athletic department has policies for drug and alcohol use and Coach Green follows those codes when it comes to his athletes.

“It’s a college campus so obviously it goes on,” Green said. “Student athletes are students and they fall into the same categories as everyone else. They just have different pressures.”

McDonald nor Green feel that Quinnipiac students, athletes or non-athletes, have a problem with drug or alcohol use.

Brianna Lui, freshman, believes that the threat of drug testing keeps most student athletes away from it while non athletes tend to be more involved with drinking and drugs.

“Athletes have to worry about early morning practices or games while non-athletes don’t really have to worry about that,” Lui said.

Steve Velardi, freshman golf team member, agrees with Lui stating that non-athletes tend to have more of a problem with street drugs.

“Drug testing is necessary for the health of our athletes and the side effects are so bad that its hard to understand why true athletes do enhancement drugs,” Velardi said.

If the athletic department does get the funding for the drug testing they plan to test along the same policies of the NCAA.

“Drugs and alcohol are clearly part of our society. They’re a problem and we care about them,” McDonald said.

The potential drug testing has full support of all coaches in hopes to keep Quinnipiac’s student athletes safe.