Student Health Services overlooks possible date rape scenario, according to univ. student

My friend woke up Nov. 1 with no recollection of Halloween night after 12:30 a.m. She was with us through the duration of the night, so we remembered everything she could not, but we were concerned about her state both that night and the day after. She was not her normal self—dizziness and general confusion could not be the result of a mixed drink she made herself and the three beers she drank at the frat party. The next day, she could not think straight. She was having trouble forming coherent sentences. We came to the conclusion someone must have spiked her drink. 

I pressed her to go to the health center—as the first resource for health issues for students, they must have some way to deal with this. We are at a college campus and date rape is something that happens from time to time. While this horrible crime did not happen to her, I thought the health center must have to have some sort of policy to deal with the drugs that coincide with sexual violence. 

I was hugely disappointed.

Student Health Service’s policy on coping with date rape drugs results only in inaction and blame on the victim. There is no testing and no strategy to narrow down the symptoms to determine the type of drug could be. The health center offered no guidance as to if we should call the police or if there can be action taken against the fraternity that may have drugged my friend. There is only blame to point at the victim, to say she should have protected her drink, she shouldn’t have accepted an open beer and she shouldn’t have brought this situation upon herself. 

The health center’s justification for inaction was there was nothing that could do without the results of “exhaustive tests.” They refused to conduct these “exhaustive tests” because there are too many types of drugs that could have the same effect on her.  The nurse made this point while repeating preventative measures to the point of chastisement—meanwhile, the drug was slowly leaving my friend’s system and with it, the evidence that can be taken against the fraternity. This effectively means victims of these actions are out of luck if they go to the health center. Not only does Student Health Services refuse to conduct testing on “everything she could have taken,” but they also waste the time that could have been spent going somewhere that could catch the results in time. That phrase—“everything she could have taken”—exemplifies this issue. It implies consent and responsibility on behalf of my friend in ingesting a date rape drug. This is putting fault on the victim rather than proactively attempting to rectify the situation and bring the perpetrator to justice. 

My friend left the health center feeling guilty because someone drugged her drink. The fact she felt that way and the university does nothing to prevent it and only continues to perpetuate guilt is despicable. She was treated illegitimately for being the victim of a malicious action, while the university continues to promote their visions of “Idea Leadership” and “Citizen University.” 

After returning from Laurel Hall, I decided to call Student Health Services to ask for the nurse’s name so I could post a formal complaint. First, after asking for the nurse’s name, the receptionist hung up on me. After calling back, the receptionist awkwardly put me on the line with the nurse instead of giving me her full name. The nurse insisted she cannot tell me her name, as doing so would violate patient-doctor confidentiality, which I can only guess was an excuse to prevent a complaint. Regardless, she answered the phone with her first name, and only after looking her up on the university website I learned her surname. Armed with this information, I tried to find a way to complain on the Student Health Services’ website, and to complete the ridiculousness, I could not find it. What I did find, ironically, was the list of Patient Rights and Responsibilities. The list states patients have the right to respect, consideration and dignity. Perhaps, instead of causing stress and obstructing action, Student Health Services should uphold policy.