In the wake of recent incidents at Pennsylvania State University, University of Michigan Department of Public Safety officials are recommending that students here exercise caution in social situations, due to the illegal drug Rohypnol.
Penn State officials reported Tuesday that more than 10 students at the Happy Valley campus are suspected to be victims of the powerful "date-rape drug" that causes blackouts and amnesia in its victims.
According to Jason Alt, editor of The Daily Collegian, Penn State's student newspaper, the university was aware of the drug's use in conjunction with two sexual assaults during the spring semester and one occuring at the beginning of this fall semester. Alt said the school waited to release the information until last Monday.
Alt said that Penn State released a written statement Tuesday saying it is taking a "pro-active" approach to the problem.
"I thought it was interesting that they decided to be pro-active when we were the first ones to make the information public," Alt said.
Penn State did not release the information that an additional 10 cases of the drug's use were suspected within the first three weeks of school until contacted by The Daily Collegian on Tuesday.
Penn State News Bureau Manager Christy Rambeau said Penn State faculty had waited to release the information about the suspected links of Rohypnol to the two sexual assaults until more students came to campus for fall semester.
"After getting people up to speed this summer and this fall, we are just now at the point where we can make the information more public," Rambeau said.
Commonly refered to as "roofies," Rohypnol is a potent tranquilizer that is similar to Valium but significantly stronger. Rohypnol is difficult to detect because it is colorless, odorless and tasteless and often causes amnesia in its victims.
According to Joyce Wright, education coordinator for the Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center, the drug is commonly slipped into drinks and can produce sedative effects leading to blackout within 20 to 30 minutes of ingestion.
Officials suspect that the drug found its way to the United States from Mexico and Europe, where it is used to cure insomnia and as a pre-operative anesthetic. When taken with alcohol or marijuana, the drug's effects are intensified and can lead to death.
Of the estimated 10 Penn State students who may have been slipped the drug, it was confirmed that three were men, The Daily Collegian reported. It is not known whether any of these 10 were sexually assaulted.
Rambeau said Penn State officials first saw the drug last year after spring break and suspect that it may have traveled to Pennsylvania from Florida.
"We're surprised that it has come here to our quiet town," Rambeau said. "I'm sure that a much more urban campus like the University of Michigan would have seen it by now."
DPS spokesperson Elizabeth Hall said there have been no reports of Rohypnol use at the University.
"We've been fortunate here at U-M and have no reported cases of the drug's use," Hall said. "However, we do feel it is important that people know it's out there."
Wright said that SAPAC has incorporated information about Rohypnol into its education curriculum.
"I don't want to say that it's not here, but it's just that we haven't seen any of it with our sexual assault survivors," Wright said. "If it's here, we typically would be the first to know about it."
Engineering junior Don Gualdoni said he first heard about Rohypnol last winter in media reports.
"Because I'm a male, I wasn't too concerned about it," Gualdoni said. "I think it is extremely important that the University gets the information out about this. It could be a huge detriment to the campus if it shows up."
DPS Capt. James Smiley said in a statement that students can avoid the drug by making sure they open their own drinks.
"The most important thing you can do to protect yourself is to maintain control over what you're drinking," Smiley said. "Never allow someone to hand you an open beverage."