And just what does AU offer to help keep students safe and confident? I do believe, for one, that there is a self-defense class. And there's the faded hotline numbers posted in the bathroom stalls: rape hotline, abuse hotline, counseling.
And there are free condoms. So many! Condom heaven!
From day one - no, not even day one - orientation, they give each student a goodie bag! Complete with a cheap "I heart AU" drawstring bag that rips on the second use, a handy-dandy AU library water bottle, certificate for $1 off coffee at the library, a planner and a condom (instructions included). From the first day, students are inundated with condoms. Students have put them to use - condom earrings, condom bracelets, condom magnets, condom pins. The library even sported a ROY-G-BIV condom arrangement at the entrance.
Granted, condoms are a necessity in preventing sexually transmitted illnesses, and AU certainly supports their use and provides a variety of colors and flavors! There have been several awareness "fairs" (Breastival, etc) on the quad throughout the past year I have been here. No matter what the occasion, there are condoms! There are also free pens, free rubber can openers, free lubricants, free whatever. As I passed one table at a fair, there were pamphlets on date rape drugs - in short, it goes in your drink, it's clear and tasteless, and in 20 minutes you're out like a light. On the table were little sticks spread out just like the free pens and highlighters, so I reached out to take one. They were date rape drug detector sticks! You dip it in your unguarded drink and if it changes color, you know you've been had. If not, you're good to go. I picked up a "free" sample.
"It's not a free sample," someone told me. It was just for show.
"Date rape" is one of the fastest growing drug-facilitated sexual assault crimes in America today, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. There are numerous drugs used to slip into someone's drink to cause him/her to become disoriented, amnesic and uninhibited. They are usually colorless and tasteless, so the unsuspecting victim has no clue they are being drugged, until it's too late. Drugs such as Ecstasy (XTC), Rohypnol (roofies, R2, roche, rib rope) and Ketamine (Special K) take effect within about 20 minutes of ingestion, and the effect can last for between four and 12 hours. Date rape detector sticks or strips have been designed to put into a drink and change color if a drug is detected.
Maybe AU should use less of our exorbitant fees on condoms and lubricants and provide a little variety in self-protective devices such as date rape detectors. If they are getting the condoms for free from a company, they should petition the same for date rape drug detectors.
For a whopping $45,000 tuition, what I learned that day was: AU says "here ... here's a condom of your choice color so that when you get your little self into a pickle, you can whip it out along with the free (flavored!) lube and be prepared" - wink wink.
AU won't give you the means to prevent getting raped, but they will help you protect yourself when it happens; and the hotline to call after the fact; and the counseling (free or not, I don't know) for after the fact; and the Public Safety officers to go after the little jerk on scooters.
That being said, next time you go out, just wear your condom jewelry to match your outfit and hope if you ever do get into trouble, you'll have time to get one out of your ear and onto some place more appropriate.
Rachel Lincoln is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences and the women's issues columnist for The Eagle. You can reach her at edpage@theeagleonline.com.
