Date rape drugs are quite the party favor — at least that’s what University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee fraternity Tau Kappa Epsilon assumed last weekend. The hosts of this party drugged their unknowing victims, young female college students, getting them so intoxicated they had to be taken to detox, with some not even remembering a thing. Mind you this is the same frat that had three sexual assault accusations marring their reputation last year. Coincidence? I think not.
Rohypnol, the drug of choice that night, has terrifying effects. It begins taking effect about a half hour after consumption, paralyzing its users, leaving them lying down, eyes open, able to see what’s going on, but incapacitated. Slipping roofies into young women’s drinks for the pure satisfaction of a man’s own sexual urges is absolutely horrendous.
These attempted and successful sexual assaults are the kind that are becoming more frequent on college campuses all over the nation. Ninety percent of sexual assaults that take place on campus involve the use of alcohol. Evidently, the frat knew exactly how to draw their victims in.
With college-aged women being four times more likely to face sexual assault than any other population segment, it is time to finally start putting an end to this madness. University awareness alone has clearly not been adequate enough to diminish these assaults and it is time to broaden the spectrum.
Three words now stand for the campaign: It’s On Us. Just this past week President Barack Obama addressed the nation with this nationwide announcement in the hopes of bringing this problem to the forefront. Celebrities to athletic superstars are participating in what will hopefully bring home the zero-tolerance principle — one is too many.
It’s On Us is managing to magnify an extremely important aspect: encouraging male participation in the conversation about sexual assault. While men are also sexually assaulted, it is not to the same extent as women are in our society. Education and engagement of the male population is crucial for any progress to be made, and It’s On Us is making that clear.
Respect and responsibility falls not just on the male counterpart but on us women, too. We all have a role to play and a say in what can and should be done. Unfortunately, it has taken until now for any true attention to be called on the matter. The power has now landed itself in the president’s hands, and we need to grab on and hold on tightly to ensure proper progress is made.
Funding, reviewing existing laws and creating task forces to coincide and work alongside colleges and universities are necessary to bring sexual assault off the bench and onto the playing field and into the public eye. The Obama administration realizes that our generation and our culture are not taking the right precautions on this important and overlooked issue.
The NCAA and even our very own Big Ten have already taken strides in helping to take a part of the solution to ending sexual assault on college campuses. These great associations represent a vast amount of universities, and are a good way to show that we are actually headed in the right direction by pledging their support to the It’s On Us initiative.
Now that the head of office has taken this under his wing, we can only go up from here. After what feels like hitting rock bottom with the reality of how prevalent sexual assaults are, a light seems to be emerging at the end of the tunnel.
Having a little white pill slipped into your drink is not the new party favor. Education about sexual assault will cause not only spiked drinks to become extinct, but assaults themselves as well. However, it’s not just college campuses that need to take on this mentality. It’s on ALL of us.
Shannon Skebba ([email protected]) is a sophomore majoring in international studies with a certificate in global health.
