OAKHAM TRIES TO STOP DATE RAPE

The dangers of date rape drugs haven't gone away, but the only sign warning
students about them has disappeared from Ryerson's campus pub.

Oakham House manager Dale MacNichol said he called Ryerson Security on
Friday and asked for the sign to be put back up. He only noticed it was
missing after a call from the Eyeopener last week.

"I didn't know it had been taken down, but I've asked it to be reinstated.
It's my responsibility to keep students out of harm's way because there are
people who are twisted," MacNichol said, referring to attackers who use the
date rape drug to prey on others in a pub.

Rohypnol, the most common of date rape drugs, has also been called the
"Forget Pill," "Trip-and-Fall," and "Mind-Erasers." Combined with alcohol,
it can induce a blackout and is often accompanied with memory loss and
temporary paralysis.

The drug has been linked to sex assaults across the United States and
Canada from as early as 1996. It can start working almost immediately,
causing victims to feel dizzy and disoriented before falling into a trance
and passing out.

The drug is usually used at bars, clubs and parties, leaving its victims
with no memories of what happened while under its influence. It is
tasteless, colourless and odourless, making it virtually undetectable if a
drink is spiked. Women have reported being raped after being sedated with
Rohypnol, which was slipped into their drink by an attacker. They can be
tested within 72 hours to know if the drug is in their system by providing
a blood and urine sample.

In 1998, several University of Toronto students filed reports with campus
police after experiencing symptoms similar to those induced by Rohypnol.
Suspected cases of the drug have also been reported at the University of
Manitoba, McGill University, and McMaster University.

MacNichol said Ryerson Security is responsible for posting ads and notices
on the bulletin board in Oakham House. The poster warning about the date
rape drug used to be mounted on the wall along the staircase leading down
into the Ram in the Rye pub.

MacNichol said he met with Ryerson Security and Ryerson's Health Promotions
office in October 2002 when the school was planning to distribute coasters
that detect date rape drugs.

But the coasters were pulled a week before they were to be handed out,
after media reports cited a study by the Michigan State Police Crime Lab
claiming the coasters didn't work with dark coloured or citrus drinks.

The coasters were created by Florida-based Drink Safe Technologies and have
test areas that are meant to change colour when exposed to drinks that have
been contaminated with.

MacNichol didn't know how the coasters worked, or why they were pulled from
Ryerson's campus last year. But he believes they would be helpful in
promoting awareness about the dangers of the drug.

Ryerson's health promotions nurse Allison Burnett said that spreading
awareness about the drug is an on-going, continuous process.

Health Promotions helps host an annual Alcohol Awareness Forum where date
rape drugs are discussed. Each term, O'Keefe House holds a sex workshop
that also educates students about the dangers of the drug.

"We didn't want people to get the idea that if they use the coaster,
they're completely safe. People should be taking other precautions," said
Burnett. "[They] shouldn't be leaving their drinks unattended. They should
leave them with friends. They shouldn't be accepting drinks from people
they don't know."

Ryerson nutrition student Shawna Duck learned about date rape drugs five
years ago after watching a television news report. She said she always has
at least two friends with her when she goes out to a club or a bar.

"It's really scary because you're never sure who's doing what in the bar
scene," said Duck. "It's crowded and it's easy for anyone to slip something
into your drink, and then people [with the date rape drug] can easily take
advantage of you."