William Jewell College Athletics

Updated Summer 2025

The William Jewell College Athletics Department is committed to the health, safety, and well-being of all student-athletes who participate in its programs and represent the college in intercollegiate athletics. Substance abuse is one of the most important issues facing athletics and society today. The use of illegal drugs, misuse of legal drugs and dietary supplements, use of performance-enhancing substances, misuse of alcohol and inappropriate use of tobacco products are inconsistent with standards expected of student-athletes at William Jewell College. The use of these types of substances can pose risks to the student-athlete's health, negatively affect his or her academic and athletic performance, pose risks to the safety of others, and diminish team performance.  It can also compromise the integrity of athletic competition and the ideals of William Jewell College. 

William Jewell College institutional substance abuse program consists of education, testing, rehabilitation, and counseling intended to promote the health and welfare of all William Jewell College intercollegiate athletes. Amendments to these procedures may be issued with or without notice as deemed appropriate by College personnel. Nothing in these procedures shall be construed to create a contract between student-athletes and William Jewell College. However, signed consent and notification forms shall be considered affirmation of the student-athletes agreement to the terms and conditions contained therein and to this policy and these procedures, and shall be legal contractual obligations of the student-athletes.  This policy is separate and distinct from the NCAA drug testing policy.  

The Department of Athletics at William Jewell College believes it is our responsibility to do everything possible to protect the health and well being of our student-athletes. It is our desire, therefore to educate our student-athletes about the effects (both long and short term) of drugs and over-the-counter dietary supplements on their performance and much more importantly, on their lives. It is our hope that our student-athletes will recognize the dangers of drug use and therefore compete and live free of all dangerous substances.

Purpose
The central purpose of the program is to protect student-athletes from the detrimental effects of drug use/abuse.  The substance abuse program should discourage the use of drugs and illegal substances and appropriate intervention will take place should drugs or illegal substances be detected during a random drug test.  Other specific goals of the comprehensive testing and education program are as follows:

• Education – to provide educational guidance to athletes to ensure awareness of the physical, mental, and legal consequences of illegal drug use.  Athletes will participate in a substance abuse education program annually.
• Prevention – to discourage athletes from drug experimentation and possible substance abuse and dependency by imposing significant sanctions on offenders.
• Detection of abuse – to detect student athletes who may be involved in substance use or abuse through random testing methods.
• Treatment and Rehabilitation – to assist those athletes for whom a possible substance 
• abuse problem exists in obtaining rehabilitation through substance abuse counseling programs available through referral from the Office of Counseling Services.
• Promote health and safety of student participation – to provide reasonable safeguards assuring that every athlete is able to participate in intercollegiate activities unimpaired by illegal or banned drugs.  

Tobacco and Substance Abuse Education
Athletes who are educated about substance use in sport are more likely to make informed and intelligent decisions about usage. William Jewell College will conduct a drug education program for student-athletes at least once a year. This educational program will be designed to review athletic department and institutional policies related to the use of tobacco and other drugs. Appropriate educational materials will be made available to participants. Additionally, a resource pool of educational materials will be made available for use by coaches and student-athletes at any time throughout the year. All student-athletes and athletics staff members are required to attend the educational programs.  

In addition to educating student-athletes and athletics staff about the various policies, an annual review of William Jewell College's institutional substance abuse program will be conducted. Dietary supplements and their inherent risks for student-athletes will be discussed. 

Athletic Department Responsibility
All athletics staff members must be aware of and committed to the drug education and substance abuse program. No athletics staff member shall encourage or advise any student-athlete to take performance-enhancing or non-therapeutic drugs and further, they shall not issue or assist student-athletes in obtaining any of these substances. Staff members shall advise and educate student-athletes against these types of substances and shall report the use, or suspected use, of performance-enhancing and/or non-therapeutic drugs by a student-athlete to the appropriate athletic department administrator. All athletic staff members shall direct student-athletes who desire to use dietary supplements to any member of the athletic training staff. Head coaches are required to maintain up to date squad rosters with the compliance office to be used in the random selection process. Any staff member found in violation of this policy is subject to dismissal.  

Consent to Participate
As a condition of participation in intercollegiate athletics at William Jewell College, each student-athlete will be required to sign a William Jewell College consent form agreeing to undergo drug testing and authorizing release of test results in accordance with this policy. A student-athlete will not be permitted to participate in team activities until completed.  Failure or refusal to sign this consent or comply with the requirements of this policy may result in the student-athlete's athletic scholarship being revoked and the termination of eligibility to participate in intercollegiate athletics at William Jewell College.  Student-athletes will be given the opportunity to ask any questions regarding the information contained in the policy, the testing program, or other related issues prior to signing the William Jewell College substance abuse consent form (Appendix A).

Eligibility
All William Jewell College student-athletes, including cheerleading and dance team members, listed on the institutional squad list and who have signed the institutional consent form shall be subject to drug testing under the terms of this policy. This includes, but is not limited to, student-athletes who are "red-shirting," academically ineligible, or injured.  All student-athletes shall be subject to the terms of this policy throughout the calendar year.

Prohibited Substances
The William Jewell College substance screening process may include analysis of the NCAA list of banned-drug classes. The NCAA banned-drug classes are as follows: stimulants, anabolic agents, diuretics, street drugs, peptide hormones, and their related compounds. For ongoing updated listing of the NCAA banned-drug classes, student-athletes and staff personnel are urged to review the NCAA's website at www.ncaa.org or contact the head athletic trainer.

William Jewell College explicitly reserves the right to test for substances not listed on the NCAA banned-substances list.

William Jewell College Department of Athletics requires that ALL student-athletes keep the athletic training staff aware of ANY AND ALL dietary supplements and prescribed drugs that he or she may be taking. Ignorance of the legality of a substance is no excuse for a positive test. 

Tobacco Policy
Aligned with the NCAA policy regarding tobacco use, the use of tobacco products is prohibited by all game personnel (e.g. coaches, student-athletes, athletic trainers, managers and game officials), in all sports, during practice and competition. 

Alcohol Policy
The William Jewell College Athletic Department will defer to the Alcohol Policy as it is outlined in the student-athlete handbook in accordance to the William Jewell College Honor Code. Violations of this policy will be handled on a case by case basis as outlined in the William Jewell College Honor Code.

Dietary Supplements 
William Jewell College Department of Athletics personnel will not distribute or encourage the use of any dietary supplements or ergogenic aids.  Many dietary supplements or ergogenic aids contain NCAA banned substances. In addition, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not regulate the supplement industry; therefore, purity and safety of nutritional/dietary supplements cannot be guaranteed. Often the labeling of dietary supplements is not accurate and is misleading. 

Terms such as "healthy" or "all natural" do not mean that dietary supplements do not contain a banned substance or are completely safe to take.  Using dietary supplements may result in a positive drug test.  Student-athletes who are currently taking dietary supplements or intend to take any are required to review the product with a member of the athletic training staff. The use of all supplements for any reason is at the student-athletes own risk. Student-athletes are solely responsible for any substance they ingest.  All student-athletes are encouraged to use the Drug Free Sport Resource Exchange Center (REC) to obtain current and accurate information on dietary supplements or ergogenic aids. All inquiries are confidential. The REC may be accessed at www.drugfreesport.com/REC.  To access information, select NCAA Division II as the organization and password "ncaa2." 

Types of Drug Testing

• Random Testing: At any given time, student-athletes from any and/or all intercollegiate athletic teams will be randomly selected to participate in the institutional substance abuse testing program.  
  • This type of testing also encompasses the pre-season and post-season (championship) time frames.  Student-athletes are subject to preseason testing and may be notified by the Director of Athletics or his/her designee at any time prior to first competition.   
• Reasonable Suspicion: Any student participating in an intercollegiate athletic program, including cheerleading and dance, is subject to drug testing upon request if there is reasonable cause to believe that the student may be using a banned substance.  Circumstances which constitute reasonable cause, include but are not limited to, the following: current or past involvement with the criminal justice system for drug related activities, notification from the from the Department of Student Life of any report that includes the presence of drugs and/or drug paraphernalia, prior treatment for drug problems, admission of a current drug problem, prior positive test for any banned substances, physiological signs of possible impairment from drugs, or a pattern of abnormal behavior.
  • The possession and/or use of illegal substances may be determined by means other than urinalysis. When an individual is found to be in possession and/or using such substances, he/she will be subject to the same procedures that would be followed in the case of a positive urinalysis. See Appendix E for the Reasonable Suspicion Form. 
• Re-entry to Competition testing: Any student-athlete testing positive for an illegal substance will be subject to further testing prior to release from administrative sanctions. A negative result on the first re-entry test will allow the student-athlete to return to competition within his or her sport.  Following re-entry, the student-athlete will be subjected at any time to further testing as outlined it the follow-up testing procedures.
  • The student athlete will be required to provide two consecutive negative tests before being returned to the random testing pool. Continued lack of progress in re-entry testing procedures will require the institution to involve the parents/legal guardians in the process.
  • The student-athlete will pay the costs associated for the first required re-entry test, the cost of all subsequent required tests will be the responsibility of the student-athlete.
• Follow-up testing: Any athlete testing positive for an illegal substance will be subject to repeated follow-up  testing for one year from the time of the positive test or until two consecutive negative tests are obtained.  After successful completion of follow-up testing, the student-athlete will then be returned to the general pool of student-athletes for random selection.  Any positive test result during follow-up testing will qualify as a second offense and its sanctions will apply.

Notification Process
Usually, but not always, student-athletes will be notified of an impending test no more than 24 hours prior to the test session. However, under this policy, no notice testing is permissible. The Head Athletic Trainer or his/her designee will notify the student-athlete, in person or by direct telephone communication of the date and time to report to the Mabee Center for sample collection. Voice messages and emails are not acceptable forms of notification. The student-athlete will read and sign the Student-Athlete Notification form acknowledging that he/she has been notified of the test and verifying the date and time of the test. The student-athlete also acknowledges that failure or refusal to appear, or tampering with the urine sample will constitute a positive test result and will be subject to disciplinary action. Additionally, tardiness will not be tolerated and failure to appear within one hour of designated arrival time will be considered a missed test. 

Test Site
Drug testing will commonly be conducted in the Mabee Center. Student-athletes will report to the designated location to sign in to the collection station. The student-athlete will be provided a time to report to the facility. A government-issued photo ID should be brought with the student-athlete to the drug testing site. The student-athlete will confirm and disclose any and all medications (prescription and over the counter) and dietary supplements that he/she is taking. The student-athlete is identified and begins the actual testing process.

Student-Athlete Confidentiality
Maintaining confidentiality and protection of the rights of the student-athlete is critical factor in drug-testing. Every effort will be made to protect the confidentiality of student-athletes under this policy, including those who test positive, undergo reasonable suspicion testing, or enter treatment programs. Only persons with a "need to know" will be informed of the drug testing results. Under no circumstances will any William Jewell College personnel or anyone else associated with the drug testing program be permitted to discuss publicly any information acquired in their capacity, whether it involves individual student-athletes or teams. All infractions will be referred to as "violation of team policy" in communication with any persons not directly affected by the infraction.

College Personnel
The Director of Sports Medicine or his/her designee will serve as the site coordinator and liaison between the athletic administration, Drug Free Sport and the laboratory conducting the tests. The athletic training staff will provide support during the testing process. The Director of Athletics will be involved in all cases of positive tests.  

Medical Exception Process
William Jewell College recognizes that some banned substances are used for legitimate medical purposes. William Jewell College will allow exceptions to be made for those student-athletes with a documented medical history demonstrating a need for regular use of such a substance. The student–athlete is required to inform the Director of Sports Medicine of all medications he/she is taking prior to being tested. Additionally, documentation from the student-athlete's prescribing physician will be kept in the student-athlete's medical file.  

In the event a student-athlete tests positive, the Director of Athletics in consultation with the Director of Sports Medicine, and Team Physician will review the student-athlete's medical record to determine whether a medical exception should be granted. This institutional policy will follow the same guidelines as outlined in the NCAA drug testing program. 

Testing Procedure
The testing collection process will be handled by the Sports Medicine staff in conjunction with Drug Free Sport team members. Collection will be completed by direct observation and the sample will be tested for dilution (specific gravity) and pH. Student-athletes will stay in the designated testing area until a valid sample is obtained. 

Definition of a Positive Test
The detection levels for a positive test will remain consistent with NCAA cut-off screening values. Any result greater than these values will be deemed a positive test result.

Results Notification
The Director of Sports Medicine and Director of Compliance will receive results (positive or negative) directly from the testing laboratory. All results will be handled using strict confidentiality. The Director of Athletics and the head coach of each respective sport will be notified in the case of a positive test. 

Sanctions for Positive Test Results
Among the sanctions that result from positive institutional drug tests are:

• • Counseling session with Student Life 
• • Partial loss of season and potential loss of scholarship 
• • Permanent dismissal from team and loss of scholarship

Positive test results are cumulative for the student-athlete's athletic career at William Jewell College.  Not meeting any or all of the sanction requirements will be considered another violation of this policy and additional sanctions deemed appropriate by the Director of Athletics will apply.  Additionally, failure to sign preseason consent to test form, failure to appear for requested testing or any attempt to manipulate test results will be considered a positive test and appropriate sanctions will apply.

First Violation

• The Athletic Director will schedule a confidential meeting with the student-athlete, the Head Coach, the Director of Compliance and Sports Medicine Staff member assigned to that team to inform them of the positive test result. The head coach may bring one additional staff member from their team if they deem it necessary.
• The student-athlete will be required to notify his/her parent(s) or legal guardian(s) of the situation. Text messaging will not be considered a viable form of communication. A written letter will also be sent by the athletic department to inform the parent(s)/legal guardian(s) of the positive test within 48 hours of the notification meeting with the student-athlete. 
• The student-athlete will be required to meet with a student life counselor for evaluation and determination of a treatment plan and any further sessions. 
• The student-athlete will be required to attend all team meetings, practices, and contests unless excused by the head coach.  
• The student-athlete will be required to attend one meeting with a representative from the office of student life for the purposes of evaluation, education, and if necessary, treatment, counseling or referral. 
• The student-athlete will be required to sign a written authorization for release of information to necessary Department of Athletics staff members regarding compliance with attendance and cooperative participation. No information pertaining to matters discussed during meetings will be shared outside of the Office of Counseling Services staff members. 
• Failure to attend the counseling session will result in suspension from participation in competition and practice until session is made up.
• A student-athlete who has a positive drug test will be required to complete two subsequent drug test at their own expense no less than 30 days after each testing date but no more than 45 days apart.
• Student Athlete will be allowed to continue with team competition and practice during this period
• Student athlete must communicate with the Director of Sports Medicine to set up reentry testing. Further testing is at the expense of the student athlete.

Second Violation During Reentry Testing

• The Athletic Director will schedule a confidential meeting with the student-athlete, the Head Coach, the Director of Compliance and Director of Sports Medicine to inform them of the positive test result.  The head coach may bring one other coach if they deem it necessary.
• The student-athlete will be required to notify his/her parent(s) or legal guardian(s) of the situation.  Text messaging will not be considered a viable form of communication.  A written letter will also be sent by the athletic department to inform the parent(s)/legal guardian(s) of the positive test within 48 hours of the notification meeting with the student-athlete. 
• A phone call to the Student-Athletes parents will be made during the meeting to inform the parent(s) that the student has violated the institutional drug policy for a second time.
• The student-athlete may have his/her athletic scholarship revoked or reduced and will have a suspension of 25% of their playing season. (Refer to Chart A)
• Removal of athletic aid will occur at the end of the academic year
• The Suspension will begin with the next scheduled contest and will be in effect for both in-season and post season competition. (exhibition and scrimmages can't be used to serve this suspension)
• Suspension will roll over to the next season if necessary. If the positive drug test happens over the summer then the suspension will be served during the next season of competition.
• A positive drug test during the reentry testing at this point will be considered an athlete's third violation. (See third Violation).

Second Violation After Clearing Reentry Testing

• The Athletic Director will schedule a confidential meeting with the student-athlete, the Head Coach, the Director of Compliance and Director of Sports Medicine to inform them of the positive test result. The Head Coach may bring one other coach if they deem it necessary.
• The student-athlete will be required to notify his/her parent(s) or legal guardian(s) of the situation. Text messaging will not be considered a viable form of communication.  A written letter will also be sent by the athletic department to inform the parent(s)/legal guardian(s) of the positive test within 48 hours of the notification meeting with the student-athlete.
• A phone call to the Student-Athletes parents will be made during the meeting to inform the parent(s) that the student has violated the institutional drug policy for a second time. 
• The student-athlete will be required to attend one meeting with a representative from the office of student life for the purposes of evaluation, education, and if necessary, treatment, counseling or referral. 
• The student-athlete will be required to sign a written authorization for release of information to necessary Department of Athletics staff members regarding compliance with attendance and cooperative participation. No information pertaining to matters discussed during meetings will be shared outside of the Office of Counseling Services staff members. 
  • Failure to attend counseling sessions will result in suspension from participation in competition and practice until session is made up.
• Student-athlete will be suspended for 10% of their competitive season, also the student-athlete may have his/her athletic scholarship revoked or reduced. (Refer to Chart A)
• Removal of athletic aid will occur at the end of the academic year.
• A student-athlete who has a positive drug test will be required to complete two subsequent drug test at their own expense no less than 30 days after each testing date but no more than 45 days apart.

Third Violation

• The Athletic Director will schedule a confidential meeting with the student-athlete, the Head Coach, the Director of Compliance and Director of Sports Medicine to inform them of the positive test result.
• The student-athlete will be required to notify his/her parent(s) or legal guardian(s) of the situation. Text messaging will not be considered a viable form of communication. A written letter will also be sent by the athletic department to inform the parent(s)/legal guardian(s) of the positive test within 48 hours of the notification meeting with the student-athlete. 
• The student will be removed from collegiate athletic team and not allowed to participate in any William Jewell collegiate athletics. 
• Loss of athletic aid will be effective immediately.

Referrals to the Office of Counseling Services

When counseling services for the purpose of assessment and/or treatment are required, the referring party will make known to the counseling provider a time frame when the assessment or treatment will be needed by the Athletic Department.  This will allow the Office of Counseling Services to schedule interviews in a timely manner.  The student-athlete will be required to sign a release of information to allow communication between the psychologist/therapist and the athletic department for the purposes of attendance and cooperative participation.  Failure by the student athlete to meaningfully participate in the process as defined by the counseling center staff will be considered as a second offense.  The student-athlete has ten (10) days from the date of notification to arrange for his/her first mandated session with the Office of Counseling Services 816-415-5946 (counselingservices@william.jewell.edu.

Appeals Process
Student-athletes who test positive for a banned substance may contest the finding within 48 hours following receipt of notice.  A written request for appeal must be submitted to the Director of Athletics within the 48 hour time frame.  The Director of Athletics or his/her designee will request the laboratory to perform confirmation testing on the student-athlete's specimen B, if applicable.  Specimen B findings will be final.  If specimen B results are negative, the drug test will be considered negative.  

If specimen B findings are positive, the student-athlete will be responsible for any costs incurred with analysis.  Any student-athlete requesting an appeal of a positive B sample test is entitled to a hearing by the appeals committee which will consist of five (5) members of the Intercollegiate Athletic Committee, these members must include the following: the chair of the committee, the Faculty Athletic Representative (FAR) and three (3) other members of the committee. Requests for such a hearing must be made with-in 48 hours of notification of the positive B sample test.  If 48 hours would end on a weekend, the request must be made by noon on the next business day.  Requests must be in writing and received by the Director of Athletics.  

The student-athlete may have an advocate or other representatives present; however, the student-athlete must present his or her own case.  The hearing should take place no more than 48 hours after the written request is received by the Director of Athletics.  Either the student-athlete or the other parties involved may request an extension of time to the Director of Athletics, who will consider whether to grant the extension upon a showing of good cause.  These proceedings shall include an opportunity for the student-athlete to present evidence, to question adverse testimony, as well as to review the results of the drug test.  The proceedings shall be confidential.  The decision by the appeals committee regarding the sanction to be imposed shall be final. The Director of Athletics shall inform the student-athlete of the committee's decision in writing.  

Self-Referral Program
Any student-athlete may refer himself/herself for evaluation or counseling by contacting their head coach, a member of the sports medicine staff, or an athletics department administrator. (See Appendix H)  

• A student-athlete may not initiate self-referral after he/she has been informed of their  
• participation in an impending substance abuse test as well as been informed of a pending substance abuse test.
• A student-athlete cannot enter the self-referral program at any time after a positive test.    
  • This includes the entire time of athletic eligibility for that student-athlete.
• There will be no team or administrative sanctions imposed upon the student-athlete for seeking professional help through self-referral.
• A treatment plan arranged through William Jewell College Office of Counseling Services will be put into place upon self-referral. In addition, follow-up testing will occur frequently while in the self-referral program.
• A student-athlete testing positive on the initial testing after entering this program will not be subject to applicable sanctions. However, a positive test in subsequent retest or failure to adhere to treatment program will result in the appropriate administrative sanctions consistent with a first offense.
• Self-referral does not exempt an athlete from NCAA sanctions in the event of NCAA year round and championship testing.