The Wake

Danger might be attending the party on Friday night. You might only be looking for a few drinks, friends and a good time, but the guy you met at the beginning of the semester may have alternative motives when he offers to hold your drink.

“Unfortunately you need to be more wary of the person you’ve known a couple of weeks than the person you just met,” said Melissa Schmidt, the legal advocacy and direct services coordinator at the Aurora Center on campus. “It’s statistically more likely to be raped by someone you know.”

The Aurora Center, located on the fourth floor of Boynton Health Service, is a row of six small rooms where they offer free and confidential services to victims of many kinds of sexual abuse and violence.

In addition to illegal date rape drugs like GHB, which is illegal in the United States, Schmidt said the most common date rape drug is alcohol. A woman who had too much to drink is an easy target. The problem is that a woman may not know she has been sexually assaulted until a friend approaches her later that week, asking whatever happened with that guy she left with at the party. Often she won’t remember. The victim might not really know she has been raped until she is under other stress or is unable to sleep because of flashbacks, Schmidt said.

Although men can also be victims of date rape, women are by far at greater risk. “Unfortunately, there’s no battered men’s shelter and they often end up at a homeless shelter,” Schmidt said.

Date rape often spikes on campus in the weeks following spring break, said Matt Quast, an investigations officer with the U of M police. This often happens because people vacation in Mexico or other countries where date rape drugs are easier to get a hold of, Quast said.

Party smart tips:

• Decide how and when to leave the party or bar before going out with a group of friends.

• Watch friends closely who seem extremely intoxicated after only a few drinks. This is an indication that something stronger has been slipped into her drink.

• Don’t leave a drink unattended. Although it’s a good idea to keep an eye on what you’ve been drinking, this isn’t always a surefire way to know if your drink has stayed pure, Schmidt said. The best way is to watch each other when you’re at a party.

• Even if you meet somebody you really like at the party or the bar, it doesn’t hurt to call him the next day instead of leaving with him. “Twelve hours isn’t a long time to wait if you really like the person and it’ll keep you safe,” Schmidt said.

• A possible sexual assault is best checked at the hospital right away with a Sexual Assault Response Service (SARS) because evidence of a date rape drug usually disappears after the first 24 hours.

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. If you’d like more information about the Aurora Center, call (612) 626-2929, or stop by the 4th Floor of Boynton Health Service.