A party was held at a Brown University fraternity on Oct 17, and two students came forward about drinking an alcoholic punch, which was not actually allowed at the function, and one woman has tested positive for the date rape drug, gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB). The Brown chapter of Phi Kappa Psi resides at the residency hall, Sears House, and is the only fraternity there.
The Huffington Post noted that although the student reported the assault to campus police, a criminal investigation can only start if she also reports it to the Providence police. While it seems so far that she hasn’t reported the incident, the fraternity is suspended and believes it is because they hosted an event with alcohol without permission. They also feel certain that none of the fraternity members spiked the drink.
Okay. Fine. If for some reason some creep that attended the party spiked the punch bowl with what is also referred to as “Liquid Ecstasy,” there is still the repercussion for breaking rules and putting attendees at risk, and possibly for not doing more to prevent this girl from getting drugged. Is it fair to say that the host of a party is responsible for any illegal activity that may happen? These men should feel remorse or at least seem more concerned that this happened at one of their events.
I appreciate that there are now more bystander movements in place for fraternities, but it still doesn’t seem to stop people from taking advantage of women, nor for the schools aiding in taking this situations more seriously. Should there be a way to council someone who is drugged and/or date raped to help them to decide to file a criminal report? Maybe. The repercussions of abuse on the victims, and the ease in which people get away with these crimes is still appalling.
I appreciate that the Brown University Department of Public Safety is asking people to report any information about the suspected use of the drug or the sexual assault, but it still seems foggy as to if the effort is being put forth to help these victims or resolve these issues. I don’t find it satisfactory that the fraternity is not under more scrutiny for the crime that occurred in their home, and I do not find it satisfactory that this is still happening to women all over the country.
No one needs to wake up confused a blacked-out because of someone’s horrible and cruel intentions. I hope Universities and other institutions wake up to prevent this kind of behavior, and to build better procedures for handling them.
Photos c/o Brown.edu, and drug-effects
