Summit Explores Dangers of Date Rape Drugs By Colleen De Baise CPS SPRINGFIELD, 111. Their arms feel like jelly. Their legs feel like they're filled with sand. Sometimes there are brief moments of consciousness, flashes of horrified awareness. But for the most part, vic tims of date rape drugs can't remem ber the attack or their attackers. Nor can they ever forget. In a growing number of rape cases reported on college campuses, the weapon used to overpower victims is drugs, such as Rohypnol or GHB (gammahydroxybutyrate). When hid den in a drink, the odorless, tasteless drugs are often undetectable. The drugs make victims not only power less to resist a sexual assault, but in capable of remembering what has happened to them. "One of our victims said, 'l'd rather have the nightmare,'" said Gail Abarbanel, director of the rape treat ment center at Santa Monica- UCLA, in remarks at an emergency campus summit on date rape drugs, held Jan. 26 in Springfield, 111. Hundreds of educators, counselors and law officials gathered at the one day summit to share information on the drugs and ways to combat their Illinois Attorney General Jim Ryan called the statewide meeting after three men from DeKalb, 111. home of Northern Illinois University were indicted in December on charges of dealing GHB. In a separate case, two Chicago area men were charged in January with possession of GHB after more than six gallons of the drug was found in their home. GHB is a powerful synthetic drug once widely promoted for body build ing. The drug, often home-brewed, can cause dizziness, drowsiness, vom- iting, seizures and memory loss. Rohypnol, available as an over-the counter sedative in other countries, Old love letters no longer a private matter at Southern Illinois University By Jason Adrian Southern Illinois University Daily Egyptian The love letter might not seem like such a private order of business to people who have seen "He's So Sweet, F***ing A**hole," an art ex hibit on display at Southern Illinois University. Hundreds of mostly handwritten letters are pasted on walls and strewn about the floor. Each is addressed to artist David Lohman, a senior in art and design. They're from several former girlfriends Lohman had be tween seventh grade and his senior year in high school. In most letters, the girls express the love they felt for Lohman. A few are actually from the artist himself, ask ing for dates or sharing his feelings. While visitors wade through the gush ing sentimentality and loopy hand writing, an audiotape featuring a col lection of recordings several girls made for Lohman plays in the back ground. Many are singing and recit ing poetry. A few actually address such pressing topics as marriage. The exhibit has stirred controversy among some students, who feel Lohman is exploiting his former girl friends. "Obviously, at the time he had these relationships, [Lohman) felt similar to what these girls felt for him," said Angie Southworth, a sophomore in speech communication. "And now it seems like he's making a mockery of it. It's kind of condescending toward - not necessarily just girls - but any one who has had any feelings like that. "These girls probably thought it would be just between him and the paper, and now he's displaying it for everyone to see," Southworth contin ued. "It's like he's saying 'Look what can cause drowsiness, confusion, im paired motor skills and unconscious ness. Both drugs, when mixed with al cohol or other drugs, can cause death. Some students ingest the drugs them selves to get a quick high; others use them as a means of incapacitating their victims. "They're very dangerous to con sume and they're very dangerous when used as weapons against women," Ryan said Law enforcement officials are alarmed at the ease at which the drugs are available. Recipes for GHB, for instance, are scattered over the Internet, according to Illinois State Police Director Terry Gainer. "Is it a little insulting that we have to have a summit on date rape drugs, that somehow the college student who sits in a philosophy class on Thurs day is dropping a drug into our daugh ters' drinks on Friday?" Gainer said. Unlike other drugs, GHB is easily formed by mixing together household products and a chemical sold at pho tography stores. The drug is linked to a growing number or rapes and rob beries; in Chicago, police investigate GHB-related crimes weekly, Gainer said. "There are strong laws on the books that will help us prosecute and lock these individuals up," he said. Under federal law, the penalty for possession of Rohypnol is now the same as other controlled substances such as cocaine, LSD and heroine. The maximum punishment is a 20- year prison sentence. That's not the case for GHB. While it is illegal to sell GHB, it is not ille gal under federal law to possess or use the drug. The maximum penalty for selling the drug is imprisonment for less than one year. Some states, however, have stiff ened the penalties for GHB posses sion. In Illinois, for instance, posses sion of more than 200 grams of GHB with the intent to sell the drug carries all these girls felt for me. Ha-ha. Now it's just a piece of art for me. — While the exhibit seems awfully callous and narcissistic to some, Lohman said a few of his former girl friends know about it and aren't of fended. "Of course it's self-indulgent. What art isn't?" Lohman said. "I believe it's very honest and pure. Most shows that are around are afraid to delve into this territory. "I think it's a good thing for a per son to take stock in their past and ana lyze what they've done wrong and what they've done right. This wasn't meant to be a malicious show." Along with biting criticism, Lohman is receiving his fair share of praise. A notebook reserved for visi tors' comments sits in the center of the exhibit. While many have written about his distasteful judgment, others have applauded the way he's captured a period everyone goes through as they grow up - which, Lohman said, is precisely what the exhibit is about. "It's a celebration of young love," he said. "That high school feeling that you get with your first crush and your first heartbreak," he said. "It's (about) getting rid of baggage and moving on." Art and design Professor Joel Feldman said Lohman's use of him self and of his own experience is a step forward for the contemporary art world. "In contemporary art, artists some times choose to use themselves - in a sense of their own bodies or experi ences - and take a highly autobio graphical approach by using personal experience as a metaphor for society at large or a segment of society at large," he said. "This shows (Lohman) is aware of different con temporary art strategies." National Campus News Thursday, February 12, 1998 The Behrend College Collegian - Page 5 a punishment of up to 30 years in prison. In cases where the drugs are used in conjunction with rapes, prosecutors have been frustrated with the lack of evidence needed for conviction. Date rape drugs are hard to trace because they leave the system quickly, in six to eight hours. At the summit, university officials expressed their concern that the drugs may be circulating on their campuses. Northern Illinois University offi cials say they are particularly worried given the recent arrests in DeKalb. One student has reported that she was given GHB at a fraternity party last November and subsequently raped, said Kathy Swanson, assistant to the president at NIU. That case is under investigation. Meanwhile, the university has started a campaign against the drugs that in cludes posters in dormitories, Greek houses and bars. "We feel even one incidence of GHB in conjunction with a rape is one too many," Swanson said. But many students are still unaware of the drugs or their potential danger, according to a university survey con ducted last year. Only 16 percent said they had ever heard of the drugs. "I would not describe the atmo sphere as one of fear," said Melanie Magara, an NIU spokesperson. College students who attended the summit agreed, saying they hoped education campaigns would further awareness and help victims come for ward "Students need to be more aware," said Lori Torigan, a senior resident assistant at Millikin University in Decatur, 111. "I hope to take [this in formation] back to my residents as well as other students on campus." • - Connie Hall, alstra resident adviser at Millikin, said students are slowly beginning to realize the extent of the problem with date rape drugs. "Students know what it is and that it does happen. We're getting more EIU student charged with homicide CHARLESTON, 111., Feb. 4 (UPI)— Charleston Police have charged an Eastern Illinois University student in the strangulation slaying of his 18-year-old girlfriend. Authorities today say Justin J. Boulay, 20, St. Charles, left a note in his apartment indicating that he killed Andrea F. Will, a freshman from Batavia, early Tuesday, apparently because she wanted to end their rela tionship. Police said Boulay and Will had been dating and she may have been Poll: Generation 2001 favors old folks MILWAUKEE, Feb. 4 (UPI) A Lou Hanis and Associates survey sug gests a new era of parental respect and a lack of it toward Generation Xers will mark the first generation of young adults in the new millen nium. The survey of more than 2,000 col lege freshmen also gauged attitudes, fears and dreams of the "Chelsea Clinton class," which graduates in 2001. Survey conductors labeled the group of 18- and 19-year-olds "Gen eration 2001." Survey director Deanna Tillisch says as a group the respondents "show a certain sense and sensibility" coupled with "idealism, optimism and a vision of a better world." While the survey says freshmen think they have technological and ree Classifieds! aware of it and that's why I think our job is important," said Hall, a junior. She would like to organize some thing similar to the summit on her campus. The best way she has been able to protect herself from sexual assault and date rape drugs, she said, is by learning as much about the prob lem as possible. "Being educated got rid of the fear and gave me caution," she said. In terms of prevention, the rape treatment center at Santa Monica- UCLA advises students to watch out for their friends when attending par ties, clubs or bars. Friends who appear intoxicated or get sick after drinking should be es corted home or receive medical atten- tion, the center says Students can watch out for them selves by keeping an eye on their drink. Don't drink beverages that you do not open yourself, don't share drinks, don't drink from a punch bowl, and don't accept a drink from someone unless you watch the drink being poured at the bar, the center says. Students who believe they may have been given a date rape drug should do the following, the center advises Get to a safe place. Ask a trusted friend to stay with Call the police. Go to a hospital as soon as pos sible. Ask for an examination and evi dence collection. Request that the hospital take a urine sample so that drug testing can be done by a crime lab. Preserve as much physical evi dence as possible. Do not urinate, shower, douche or change your clothes, and keep any other potential evidence, such as the glass that held your drink. The center also advises victims to call a rape crisis facility for informa- tion and support trying to break up with him. Officers were called to Boulay's apartment Tuesday and found Will's lifeless body. Boulay reportedly had telephoned his parents in Chicago's northwest Chicago to tell them he was in trouble. "A note was found at the scene in dicating he had killed her," said Charleston Police Lt. Hank Pauls. He said Wills appeared to have been strangled and that the Illinois State Police, Eastern Illinois University Police and the Coles County Sheriff's Department were assisting in the ho micide investigation. educational advantages over previous generations, they still look up to the moral integrity and honesty of older folks. When asked about generational in tegrity, 68 percent said they trust their parents' age group "a lot" while 79 percent said the same about their grandparents' generation. Only 19 percent said they have a high level of trust for the Generation X crowd, and only 25 percent feel that way toward their own age group. Two-thirds of those surveyed said it will be their responsibility to care for elderly parents. And mothers are the most admired by Generation 2001, followed by fathers. The survey of 2,001 students was conducted at 101 colleges and univer sities nationwide between Nov. 11 and Jan. 12 for Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co. It has an error margin of plus or minus 2 percent. Campus news briefs by College Press Service Student Sues For The Right To Stink OSLO, Norway A man barred from the University of Oslo because of his bad body odor is taking his case to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France. According to news reports, the uni versity prohibited the man from at tending in 1981 after students and in structors complained about his strong smell and ragged clothing. The man, who was studying astro physics, has lived in a plastic-foam shack for the last 20 years. He claims that his home and his aversion to soap help him achieve a deeper understand ing of the science, the Associated Press reported. The would-be student also says he has a right to stink an argument that so far hasn't been well received by Norwegian courts. He has lost ev ery case he's filed, but his lawyer, John Christian Elden, said they're prepared to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights. Elden said he'll argue that his cli ent is entitled to a private life and an education no matter what he smells like. Miniskirts Threaten Thai GPAs BANGKOK, Thailand The higher the hemline, the lower the grade point average at Chulalongakorn University. Instructors at the Bangkok school say they're going to reduce grades by five to 10 points for female students who refuse to cover their legs. Uni versity officials barred women from wearing short skirts in December, say ing they encourage sexual predators and shatter cultural expectations that Thai women carry themselves with dignity and modesty. To get their point across, university officials have hung posters around campus showing a salivating croco dile ogling a woman dressed in a miniskirt, the Associated Press re ported. "Don't tempt," the posters state, adding that scantily clad women damage the university's reputation. Proposed legislation in lowa could require students to hand over their fakes at the door By Staci Hupp lowa State Daily lowa State University If the lowa state legislature ap proves a bill designed to crack down on underage drinking, bar owners could require patrons to hand over their IDs along with the usual cover charge. The proposed bill also may give greater protection to bars tricked into serving students who use fake IDs, said its creator, state Sen. Tom Flynn. lowa law currently slaps a $1,500 fine on both bartenders and liquor license holders caught serving to underage patrons. However, minors caught drinking face only a $5O-$lOO fine and court costs. "When law enforcement officers enter a bar, all ID cards magically dis appear," he said. "That's a problem because (whether the card ever ex isted becomes) the word of the minor against the bartender. "Without some firm evidence, bar owners can present little ability to defend themselves," he continued. "We need to put emphasis on minors rather than emphasize penalties on the (alcohol) provider." While the thought of giving some one his or her fake even for only a couple of hours sends shivers down many spines, some students say the proposed law is a good one. behrcoll4@aol.com University President Keeps His Job Despite Insensitive Remark GAINESVILLE Despite rumors that he had been ousted from his job, John Lombardi, president of the Uni versity of Florida, won't be leaving after all, Lombardi, criticized for referring to Chancellor Adam Herbert as "an Oreo black on the outside and white on the inside," has agreed to be super vised by an oversight committee made up of the university system's board of regents. Lombardi has publicly clashed with regents in the past, which prompted his many supporters both black and white to say the governing board was using the insen sitive remark as an excuse to get rid of him. The committee will advise and counsel Lombardi, who has apolo gized to Herbert and the public on several occasions, on his communi cation style. Lombardi also has agreed to "put any differences aside to work together on common goals." Chelsea Believes In Her Dad CHICAGO Chelsea Clinton is standing by her man. In this case, her father, who faces allegations that he had an affair with a former White House intern only a few years older than she is. Or so says the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who, at President Clinton's sugges tion, recently spoke over the phone about the crisis with Chelsea. "She's so sweet, strong and mature beyond her years," Jackson said of the 17-year-old freshman at Stanford University during a broadcast of CNN's "Larry 'King Live." "She is aware of what's happening and con fronting it, and she wants to offer sup port for her father and mother. "The very strong ties she has with (her mother) Hillary (Rodham Clinton) and the affection for her fa ther are just very touching," Jackson continued, adding that he thinks Chelsea "totally believes" her father. "(Chelsea) has grown up in a house hold of public struggle and confron tation. It's not the first time she's seen her father's name in the negative." "I know quite a few people who use them," said Craig Fink, a junior busi ness major. "I don't know if it would cure the problem, but I think it would help." J.R. Sheffer, owner of Tazzles, a popular bar near the university, agrees. "If we think an ID is false, we take it," he said, adding that his bouncers receive a $3 bonus for ev ery fake they find. "It gives them an incentive," he said. Despite the extra protection they stand to get from the proposed legis lation, not all restaurants want the re sponsibility of baby-sitting customers' IDs. But Flynn defends his bill, saying it doesn't force bar and restaurant owners to confiscate identification. "My bill is permissive," he said. "It merely provides a tool for bar own ers to prove whether an ID is legiti mate." While he said the bill is generally a good idea, Ames Police Chief Den nis Ballantine said he also thinks state lawmakers should continue to raise penalties for bar owners who admit underage drinkers. Bar owners often overlook underage drinking on their premises, he added. "The penalty for bar owners who admit minors should be strong enough to put their licenses in jeop ardy," he said
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