Date-rape drug use reported off campus

By Genna Tan

A personal safety alert that warned students of the possible use of date-rape drugs at off-campus locations was sent out last Thursday evening.

The e-mail, which was sent to the campus community by Jeanne Rosenberger, vice provost for student life, stated that victims reported symptoms associated with the consumption of date-rape drugs. One student had reported being sexually assaulted, the e-mail stated.

"When we received the information and knew that the police were doing an investigation, we just decided it was good to do a personal safety alert and notify the students and cooperate with the police in their investigations," said Rosenberger.

Rohypnol and GHB, more commonly know as date-rape drugs, have no distinct odor or taste, the e-mail said. Symptoms can include dizziness, nausea, memory loss, breathing or motion difficulties and rapid onset of intoxication.

Rosenberger's e-mail has raised questions about sexual assault awareness on campus.

Megumi Mori, president of women's sexual assault awareness program Every Two Minutes, said more programs need to be introduced on campus to edcuate students. April is sexual assault awareness month.

"I don't think that there is enough being done on campus at all," said Mori. "Even Every Two Minutes is a small group of 20 members, and we're not huge so we can't do everything that needs to happen on campus."

Senior Hannah Laetz said she was more aware about sexual assault programs on campus than the average student might be because she was an orientation leader.

"There could definitely be more sexual assault awareness on campus," said Laetz. "One reason why people don't always report it may be because they're not aware about what date rape really is."

The Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network estimates that one out of every six American women have been victims of an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime. According to the U.S Department of Justice, there were 248,300 victims of rape in the United States in 2007, which means that on average, someone in the United States is sexually assaulted every two minutes.

"We would assert that many cases go unreported because there is significant underreporting nationally," said Rosenberger.

In 2005, Santa Clara received a grant from the Department of Justice to increase sexual assault education programs for students, said Rosenberger.

Programs that have been implemented include mandatory educational programs for freshmen, peer health educators and the introduction of programs like Every Two Minutes and One in Four, which are targeted at educating men and women about sexual assault prevention.

Shane Alborz, former president of the men's sexual assault education program One in Four, said with the help of these education programs, there has been a rise in awareness about sexual assault over the past few years.

"I definitely believe that Santa Clara is doing a very good job with raising education and awareness about sexual assault," said Alborz.

According to Alborz, One in Four is currently inactive, but plans to be active next year.

"Right now, we're going through a process of reorganization and looking for new members who are committed to the cause," said Alborz.

The e-mail included a list of tips that students should follow to prevent sexual assault, but Mori expressed a different opinion on the issue.

According to Mori, it is not up to the potential victim to avoid getting raped. Instead, it should be the responsibility of the aggressor not to commit rape.

"So much emphasis is always put on how to avoid it, but no matter how much you try to avoid something like this, you can't guarantee that it won't happen," said Mori.

"What Now?" a forum organized by the Wellness Center to educate students on sexual assault prevention, will be held on May 1 at 7 p.m. at Kennedy Commons.

Contact Genna Tan at (408) 554-4546 or gbtan@scu.edu.