San Diego State University Athletics Drug Testing Collection Policy

Internal Chain of Custody

1. The sealed sample will arrive at the laboratory with the Chain of Custody Form. The tamper-evident box will be inspected to ensure its integrity. The form will be signed and dated by a specimen processor.

2. The specimen processor will remove the sealed sample and the Chain of Custody Form from the tamper-evident box.

3. The sealed sample and accompanying Chain of Custody Form will then be placed in the limited access drug testing laboratory. This is a secure area that may be entered only by those individuals with keycards programmed to allow entrance. All specimen handling, testing, storing and/or discarding occurs in this locked area.

4. All individuals within the secured area handling the sample will be documented on an internal worksheet.

5. Samples that screen "positive" remain in the secured area for confirmation. Those samples confirming "positive" are placed in the locked freezer and stored for one year, after which time they are discarded.

6. All samples testing "negative" are discarded.

7. Upon completion of testing, the original Chain of Custody Form will be placed in a locked file within the secured area.

Documented Chain of Specimen Custody

The Department of Athletics is committed to enhancing the life of every student-athlete on campus. The purpose of the detection program is to deter the use of dangerous substances. The drugs to be surveyed in this screening are dangerous to you and your teammates. The following information is to promote the student-athlete's understanding of the drug detection program and its benefits.

Listed below are the steps of the drug testing protocol that will be implemented to assure the validity of a urine sample. The effectiveness of these steps need to be strictly adhered to by the person monitoring the collection.

1. Upon arriving at the test site, the student-athlete will be asked to fill out the Chain of Custody Form. A specimen identification number will then be assigned and verified by the student-athlete and the specimen collector. To ensure security and confidentiality, all testing and subsequent communications with the medical review officer will refer to this number.

2. In the restroom area, the student-athlete will be asked to select a sample container. The student-athlete will provide a urine specimen of between 60 and 120 ml., and will be observed by a member of the same sex while providing the specimen.

a. Male Student-Athletes: Pants/shorts and underwear should be dropped to at least knee level. The shirt needs to be either removed or pulled up to the chest level. If he is wearing a large, baggy sweatshirt, it should be removed or at least have the sleeves rolled up to the elbows. Collection needs to be done in front of the urinal so that there can be direct visualization of the urine entering the cup. While the sample is being produced, he should stand in front of the urinal with one hand on the wall and the other hand holding the cup.

b. Female Student-Athletes: The door to the stall needs to remain open at all times so that there can be direct frontal visualization. The stool should be flushed before sitting down to assure that another person's urine or other chemicals does not contaminate her sample. She will be required to sit down with her pants/shorts and underwear dropped below the level of the stool. Her shirt should be pulled up to about the chest level and tucked into a bra, if possible. While collecting the sample, one hand should be placed on the wall, while the other hand is used to position the cup.

3. Once the sample has been collected, the examiner should not have any contact with the sample. The student-athlete will pour the sample from the collection cup into the split sample vials. The vials should be closed and sealed with the tamper evident labels. Once the vials have been sealed, the collector or examiner will place them in a bag and/or kit.

4. The remainder of the Chain of Custody Form is now completed by the specimen collector who will sign on the appropriate line, making certain the specimen number from the label is accurately matched with the Chain of Custody Form. The specimen should not leave the collector's sight until the Chain of Custody Form is completed and initialed by the student-athlete.

5. The sealed specimen will be placed in the tamper-evident box. The box will then be sealed. The sample will then be taken to an approved laboratory, where the Chain of Custody labels and seals will be checked to make sure the sample was not tampered with.

6. All lab results will be reported to an expert independent physician for verification. The results will also be sent to the Head Athletic Trainer at San Diego State University where appropriate action will be taken.

Dispute / Appeal Procedures

Any student-athlete who wishes to dispute the results of the original test may request that the second half of the original sample be tested by notifying either the Director of Athletics or the Head Athletic Trainer. Results from the second-half test will take 24-48 hours. If the second-half test results confirm the first test results, the student-athlete will be immediately suspended from competition in accordance with the penalty policy.

Any student-athlete who wishes to appeal the findings of a drug test or the attendant penalty must contact the Faculty Athletics Representative who will impanel a University committee outside the Department of Athletics to hear the case. During the appeal process the student-athlete's status on the team shall be at the discretion of the Director of Athletics.

For a first-time positive drug test result, the student-athlete, at the discretion of the Director of Athletics, may be suspended from competition during the appeal. For an appeal on a second positive drug test, the student-athlete will be suspended from competition during the appeal process.

Self-Report Exception

Student-athletes who initially self-report that they are using drugs will not be charged with a "first positive." However, such student-athletes will be tested more frequently and be required to attend a prescribed counseling program. Any positive test result thereafter, or failure to comply with any part of the mandated counseling program, will count as a "first positive." A student-athlete may self-report only once without it counting as a "first positive" during his/her career at San Diego State University. The self-report must occur at least one day prior to his/her name being selected for a drug-test.

Application of penalty for the first positive drug test:

1. The suspension will begin immediately upon the findings of the test.

2. The "number of events" listed to the left is the maximum number of events allowed by the NCAA. The penalty will be assessed based upon the total number of events scheduled for that year.

3. Suspensions for the first positive drug test, including exhibition contests if they fall within the sequence of the suspended events, will not commence until the student-athlete is academically eligible for competition or medically cleared for competition. In other words, an ineligible athlete or an injured athlete who is not cleared to play will not be allowed to simultaneously serve his/her suspension as a result of a first positive drug test. For example, if a basketball athlete tested positive and was suspended for the first 20% of his/her season but was academically ineligible for the first semester, which would require him/her to miss all contests in the first semester, he/she would not begin serving a drug suspension until otherwise academically eligible at the beginning of the second term.

Third Party Referral or Coach's Referral

When a coach or member of the Athletics Department staff suspects in good faith that a student-athlete may be engaged in drug use or demonstrates questionable conduct, the staff member may refer the student-athlete to the university's assistance program.

PARTICIPATION IS MANDATORY AND ON RECORD WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF ATHLETICS

A student-athlete must complete participation in the assistance program or be subject to disciplinary action. This may include mandatory urine drug screening. A positive urine drug screen is not necessary for third party referral.