Officials at a private college in Walla Walla have warned students to be vigilant against suspicious behaviors after several students made reports of being drugged at parties.
At least ten female Whitman College students who went to separate parties over the past two weekends showed signs of ingesting drugs commonly known as "date rape drugs," Whitman's newspaper, the Whitman Wire, reported.
One of these students said she suffered from a loss of control, extreme fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and memory loss. These symptoms are found to be consistent with the effects of date rape drugs such as Rohypnol, GHB, and Ketamine.
Whitman College has approached the Walla Walla Police Department, and is working with them to handle the situation. Chuck Cleveland, Whitman's vice-president for student affairs, said the WWPD would like to interview any student who suspects being drugged as well.
"The WWPD would like to interview any students who believe they may have been drugged at any time in the past few weeks," Cleveland said in an email sent to students. "If you are one such student, please contact the Dean of Students Office immediately for additional information as well as access to other resources and support available to you."
"Moving forward, please be aware of your surroundings, continue to take care of each other, and report any suspect behaviors," Cleveland added.
In its website, the Dean of Students at the University of Wisconsin gives several safety tips for prevention and instructions for students who think they've been drugged.
- Check for signs of drug ingestion, such as weakness, feeling more drunk than the amount of alcohol consumed, or remembering drinking something but forgetting what happens next;
- Get some help: ask a friend's help to either call 911 or get to the hospital;
- Avoid sharing or trading drinks with others;
- Go with a group of trusted friends, and appoint a sober person;
- Be wary of places where date rape drugs have been used.
