As students settle into their first month of classes, campus is also bracing itself for the Red Zone. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), “The Red Zone is typically thought of as the beginning period of a new school year (i.e., mid-August to November), where there is a link between the increased frequency of social gatherings and rates of sexual assault. Research has found that 50% of [campus sexual assaults] occur during the Red Zone, especially for students who are new to campus.”
This is not an inconsiderable percentage as the APA goes on to say that “campus sexual assault (CSA) makes up the greatest proportion (43%) of total on-campus crimes in the United States.”As a word of warning to freshman and transfer students, APA concludes by saying, “Specifically, college women in their first year have reportedly been at the highest risk for sexual assault compared to other college women after their first year, including drug-and-alcohol facilitated sexual assault.”
At parties where the beer coolers are open and the kegs are flowing, many students lower their inhibitions to celebrate the freedom of college life with their peers. However, this can prove disastrous for many, as some students decide to take this celebration of life and turn it into a hunting ground. Kegs and open cups can be easily spiked with date rape drugs, their consumers unaware that the beverage that was supposed to help them let loose has turned to poison. According to the Office on Women’s Health, “Nearly 11 million women in the United States have been raped while drunk, drugged or high.”
They go on to detail that “often date rape drugs have no color, no smell, and no taste when added to a drink or food…If someone adds a date rape drug to a drink, it may change the color of a clear drink or make your drink look cloudy. But changes can be hard to see if the drink is dark (such as cola or beer) or if the room is dark.”
Although anything from sleeping pills to marijuana can be used as a date rape drug, the Office on Women’s Health describes the effects of the most dangerous ones: “Drugs such as Rohypnol, [Gamma-hydroxybutyrate], [gamma-Butyrolactone] and ketamine are very powerful. They can affect you very quickly, and you might not know that something is wrong. The length of time that the effects last vary. It depends on how much of the drug is in your body and if the drug is mixed with other drugs or alcohol. Alcohol can make the effects of drugs even stronger and can cause serious health problems — even death.”
The Office of Women’s Health goes on to describe the effects of these drugs: “Drugs or alcohol can make a person confused about what is happening, less able to defend themselves against unwanted sexual contact, or unable to remember what happened…This can make it difficult to tell if you were drugged and raped. You might not be aware of an attack until many hours later, or you may not remember what happened.” This makes it all the more important that people have close, fast and safe access to test their drinks and urine to see if they have been drugged and/or assaulted.
The Office of Women’s Health offers a checklist to people that believe they may have been drugged and sexually assaulted: “You might have been drugged and raped if:
- You don’t know why your clothes are on wrong, torn, or have unusual stains. Or you wake up without clothes and don’t remember taking them off.
- Your body feels like you had sex, but you cannot remember it.
- You have unexpected bruises, bleeding, pain, scrapes, or cuts, especially after waking up after a party, date, or other social event.”
They go on to say that “even though it may feel very difficult at the time, it is important that you try not to urinate, douche, bathe, shower, wash your hands, brush your teeth or hair, change clothes, or eat or drink before you go. A doctor or nurse may be able to collect evidence of the assault from your body.”
Since we are in the Red Zone and sexual assault is the most common crime on college campuses Campus Police has partnerships with the Wilmington Police Department and the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office that can test drinks and conduct urinalysis and blood labs to examine for the presence of date rape drugs.
Chief of Police at UNCW, Frank Brinkley, said, “When provided a report or allegation of any crime, UPD coordinates analysis of collected evidence. For a crime related to these types of substances, UPD collects the evidence i.e., drinks and/or urine and works with forensic experts at partner agencies [Wilmington Police Department and the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office] and appropriate labs and resources…There are field test kits such as those the public might even have that officers may use for preliminary testing, but for court purposes a lab test, as described above, is required.”
“Additionally, the UNCW Police Department and other campus units encourage students to learn more about bystander intervention, best practices for avoiding dangerous situations, attending parties safely, and hosting events in a manner that is safe for all attendees—both on and off campus,” Brinkley writes. “We provide training, educational resources and support to empower students with the knowledge they need to help others (or themselves) get help when needed.”
Brinkley also recommended resources for students to contact if they believe that they may be a victim of a drugged sexual assault, such as New Hanover Regional Medical Center, Coastal Horizons Center and The Open Gate Domestic Violence Center and Services. “In addition to the resources previously provided,” Brinkley writes, “students can access on- and off-campus resources here: police resources and services, safety tips, victim resources, and CARE: Collaboration for Assault Response and Education (after hours emergency number: 910.512.4821).”
Other resources include UNCW’s CARE office that students can reach out to in the event of sexual trauma at 910-512-4821.
University Police can be reached at 910-962-2222, or call 911.
The National Sexual Assault Hotline can be contacted at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). They also offer a way to chat with their agents in English or Spanish at the National Sexual Assault Online Hotline.