The administration will now use Facebook as a means to find and punish athletes engaging in illegal activity.

In mid-January, a Whitman student uploaded pictures of boys basketball players at a party with alcohol onto Facebook.  A teacher with a Facebook account saw the pictures and then forwarded them to Dr. Goodwin.  However, because there were no pictures of players actually consuming alcohol, Dr. Goodwin decided that the students did not break the school’s zero tolerance policy.  Because of this, Goodwin withheld the names of the basketball players from head coach Chris Lun, electing instead to speak with the team about the risks of underage drinking.

Before tryouts begin, all student athletes sign a code of conduct that informs them of the consequences of substance abuse.  The contract states that for the first offense of substance use, the parent or guardian will be notified, an administrator will hold a conference with the student and guardian and the student will undergo professional assessment.  It also mandates the student must complete 10 hours of community service in a 30 day period, and that he or she is subject to at least one contest suspension.

However, because Goodwin withheld the names of the players at the party, no athletes were subjugated to this punishment.  Still, the players did not go unpunished.  According to several players, Lun made the entire team run at practice.

Lun said he lectures and informs his players about alcohol use before, during and after the season.  The players on the team are also taking into account the consequences of their actions.

“Since they found pictures of us at parties on Facebook, I’m more careful about the decisions I make,” said a junior on the team.

Still, Facebook remains a viable option for monitoring athletes involvement in illegal activity.  So be forewarned athletes, more pictures of you partying on Facebook means more time sitting on the bench.