Within the past month more than four assaults of young women in Maine have shadowed summer’s end. The attacks began August 12 when a man attempted to push a woman into her vehicle at University of Maine, Orono and escalated with the murder of Colby student Don Rossignol on Sept. 16. Now it’s reached Portland.
On the evening of Sept. 13, two girls were slipped “date rape” drugs and then were sexually assualted. One victim, a 20 year old USM student, attended a party on Danforth Street with a group of friends, where the assault took place. The other victim, an 18 year old Southern Maine Community College student, has been unable to identify the location of the crime.
Both victims reported to the Portland police that they were given a drink at a party and shortly after began to lose function of their bodies. The USM student said though she did not have control of her body, she was conscious and aware of what was happening to her. The SMCC student lost all consciousness and awoke the next morning at an unknown location. The victims have been unable to give detailed descriptions of their perpetrators and there are currently no suspects.
Lieutenant Vern Malloch said the drugs used in the attacks have not been identified, but there are three drugs that produce the effects described by the victims. Rohypnol, Ketamine, and GHB are all possible candidates. The effects of these drugs are similar to that of an anaesthetic used in surgeries. The effects are nearly immediate for all those drugs, taking action within 10 to 20 minutes, said Malloch.
Lieutenant Malloch has stressed that measures need to be taken to reduce the risk of these occurrences. “We want the public to know that this happened…and that’s it’s preventable,” he said. He urged students to “buddy up” and to take care friends if they begin “acting loopy.”
“It always runs in cycles,” said USM’s Media Relations Staff Associate Judy O’Malley about crimes such as these. The University released a campus safety alert to instruct students on how to protect themselves. “Most of it is common sense advice,” said Bob Caswell, director of media relations. Though alerts are usually issued in response to crimes, Caswell said “maybe it’s something that we should be doing more often.”
Another service offered by the University and included in the cost of tuition, is treatment at counseling services. Any student enrolled in six or more credits is eligible for 12 sessions a year. Paul Dexter, assistant dean of student life and former outreach specialist at counseling services, said if a student is victimized they can seek and receive immediate treatment. Other resources like the women’s center in Woodbury Campus Center are available for women seeking peer support.
Dexter said the statistics indicate this type of crime is rare but that the majority of them are never reported. The USM police have a sexual assault program in place which Assistant to the Chief of Police Jim Daniels manages. Survivors of assault can contact Daniels either in person or anonymously if they are thinking about pursuing prosecution or to learn more about their options.
Much of Dexter’s work is geared towards reducing risky behaviors that lead to dangerous situations. This work includes education about alcohol as well as so-called “date rape” drugs. Many programs are in place on campus to educate students about the risks of abusing these substances.
Christy McKinnon can be contacted at [email protected]