This is the Brown Athletic Department's position on the use and abuse of drugs by Brown athletes. While the Athletic Department has no wish to invade the pri¬vacy of any individual, the coaches, athletic trainers, and administrators are concerned both personally and professionally about drug use since the psychological and physical well being of Brown students is involved.

The Athletic Department does not condone the use of drugs or prescribed medications unless approved by the team physicians. The possession of certain drugs is illegal. Athletes involved with or knowingly associating with students who sell drugs are liable to the stiffest disciplinary actions the University can take, including suspension or dismissal.

Whenever there is significant use of drugs--including ones available legally, such as alcohol--our initial assumption is that the person involved needs counseling. We believe that serious involvement with drugs is as much a symptom of other problems as it is a problem in itself. The staff of the University Counseling Services is available to students who wish to discuss matters of this kind; confi¬dentiality is maintained.

While Brown has no plan to implement a separate drug testing program, we do intend to participate in NCAA Championships; and the NCAA is testing at all championships. Brown teams and individuals qualifying for NCAA Champion¬ships probably will be tested.

If you are using any special prescription medicine, you should contact the Resource Exchange Center (REC) to verify whether or not it is on the banned list at http://www.drugfreesport.com/REC/default.asp (the password is NCAA1) and then contact Russell D. Fiore, Brown's Head Athletic Trainer, regarding any questions or the necessary documentation to determine whether or not continued use is permissible while competing.

Effective August 2009 the NCAA will institute stricter guidelines for eligibility under medical exceptions for banned substances, including stimulants used to treat ADHD/ ADD, medications for male-pattern baldness, peptide hormones (hGH), and anabolic steroids (testosterone).  The Brown University compliance website contains detailed information http://brownbears.prestosports.com/compliance/index that you must follow if you are taking one of these banned substances.

As a result of the passage of NCAA Legislation, all NCAA-member institutions will be subject to drug testing on a year-round basis. All sports are now eligible for drug testing. We expect Brown University athletic teams to be subjected to this testing during this academic year.
Note: Nutritional supplements are not strictly regulated and may contain substances banned by the NCAA. For questions regarding nutritional supplements, contact the dietary supplement section of the Resource Exchange Center (REC) and click on banned drug inquiry on the website listed above.