On Saturday Nov. 2, seven students and a recent alum were allegedly drugged at an off-campus party, according to the Director of Campus Safety & Emergency Management Michael McNerney.
Campus Safety is investigating and awaiting drug test results from potential victims to verify if they were drugged. All of the alleged victims are female.
The alleged drugging became public to the student body after an email from Student Activities was sent on Nov. 15. According to the Director of Public Affairs Dan Christopherson, the University is working with Campus Safety and members of the Care Team to provide support for impacted students.
“The University takes these allegations seriously,” Christopherson said in an email to The Beacon. “Campus Safety is conducting an investigation, and members of the Care Team are providing support to impacted students. The University is committed to building a culture of safety and preventing all forms of interpersonal violence. This is accomplished through education and empowerment of community members, as well as ensuring that policies are in place to care for impacted students and hold individuals accountable for any wrongful actions. Student Affairs will review this incident report and ensure that the appropriate responsive policies are implemented.”
On Sunday Nov. 3, around 1 a.m., McNerney received a call from a Legacy Emanuel Medical Center nurse after an “abnormally high” number of UP students were admitted to the hospital from the same off-campus party. Due to the number of students admitted, the hospital social worker suggested that the nurses conduct drug testing on them.
At Legacy Emanuel, two students willing and able to talk to Mcnerney expressed concerns that they may have been drugged, commonly known as being “roofied.”
“Roofie” often refers to a drug called Rohypnol, but it can also include mma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB), gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) and ketamine. When added to a drink, the drug is often colorless, tasteless and odorless. It can take effect instantly, causing severe memory loss, nausea, a sudden increase in dizziness, disorientation or blurred vision.
“Roofies” such as Rohypnol are also known as “date rape drugs” because they make the victim more vulnerable to sexual assault and rape.
Campus Safety's ability to verify whether the victims had been drugged is at a standstill until they receive drug test results from the alleged victims. McNerney urges anyone who may have been a victim or witnessed the alleged drugging occur to contact Campus Safety immediately.
He also assures students not to fear potential repercussions for student conduct violations, like underage drinking. Under Title IX amnesty, the University does not pursue the conduct process against a student who reports an incident of sexual and gender-based harassment, misconduct and violence or for students who are interviewed as witnesses in such cases.
UP’s Pilots Care Policy, which is also stated in the Life On The Bluff Handbook, may also protect students from the student conduct process.
“If a student reports to us and says, ‘Hey, I was [at] that party. I am underage, but here’s what I experienced,’ we are not in the business of following up on the underage drinking issue,” McNerney said. “We are looking at a much bigger concern. So, no matter how valuable or non-applicable the evidence they provide is, we are not looking to censure people for their drinking behavior at that time.”
In the state of Oregon, causing another person to ingest a controlled substance unknowingly and without consent is a felony. According to McNerney, if the test results return positive, the Portland Police Bureau would most likely assist in investigating the incident.
Under the Clery Act, Campus Safety is required to evaluate the necessity of issuing timely emergency notifications to students when alleged criminal incidents occur.
However, McNerney states Campus Safety did not issue an alert to students because they didn't have any reason to believe it was an ongoing risk and are not obligated to unless the threat is severe.
“I think that the challenge in this particular case was that we failed to anticipate how quickly the full campus would really kind of become aware of this situation,” McNenry said. “We, unfortunately, were not thinking about the information that was going to be shared, and we were only thinking about the information we had.”
Although the alleged drugging is still being verified and investigated, the Students Against Sexual Assault (SASA) will hold a rally on Nov. 19 at 6 p.m. outside of the Pilot House in response to the incident, according to SASA Co-President Reese Baker.
“Our goal is to make people feel safe, let them know that they have safe environments on campus that they can go to, and to continue the conversation of sexual violence,” Baker said in an email to The Beacon. “I also wanted to acknowledge that the rally was inspired by the recent events. However, it is more of a response to how students are feeling as a result. I have heard many students talk about how they are feeling particularly unsafe at this time and I want to remind them that they are being thought of.”
Christopherson said the University supports the effort of students who wish to “promote a culture of safety on campus.”
“Campus Safety’s investigation is ongoing,” Christopherson said in an email to The Beacon. “However, even though the investigation is not yet complete, UP will always respect students’ desires to express solidarity with one another and promote the well-being of our community members.”
Those who may have any information regarding the alleged drugging incident are encouraged to contact McNerney at renn@up.edu or 503.943.7161. Resources related to Title IX can be found here.
Kimberly Cortez is the Editor-in-Chief of The Beacon. They can be reached at cortez25@up.edu.
Kaylee Monahan contributed to this story. She can be reached at monahan26@up.edu.
Julianna Pedone contributed to this story. She can be reached at pedone25@up.edu.
