Challenging issues call for close scrutiny, not hasty decisions. Drug testing is an example of a controversial subject challenging businesses and institutions all over the country, including NIU.

Although the University Council in the past has been criticized for mulling over issues, NIU’s drug testing proposal deserved the time and effort the UC put into it. Its decision to accept the proposal on an interim basis was a sound one, leaving the proposal open for further revisions before closing the doors on a risky subject.

If the UC hadn’t examined the original athletic department’s proposal, most people probably wouldn’t have stood up and taken notice. Fortunately for NIU athletes—and for that matter, everyone involved with the university—some UC members had the foresight to question a questionable policy before blindly making it official.

Without debating the morality of drug testing, the council decided that what is a rule for one should apply to all. And for that, they should be applauded. As it now stands, the policy, which the UC adopted on an interim basis, affects mainly athletes, who are required to take a course in substance abuse and control without receiving credit.

The key here is that the council, realizing that targeting only athletes was not a complete answer to the drug problem, adopted the plan on an interim basis so that they may investigate further the posibility of including everyone at the university in future plans.

Whether drug testing is inherently right or wrong is not the issue. That point doubtlessly will be debated for as long as there are drugs and people.

Instead of looking at things on the surface, which the UC easily could have done, the council pursued the issue to its fullest. Subsequently, any future drug testing and education will be broad enough to cover everyone on campus rather than singling out only athletes.

There is a major drug problem in America, period. But that problem cannot be attributed to solely one source because everyone is susceptible to drug abuse—it’s not a sickness limited to athletes.

So if there is to be any sort of drug testing and education program at NIU, everyone from John LaTourette down should be covered. The University Council realized this, and because of that, an exclusionary policy was defeated just in time.