20

Date rape drug suspected at McMaster

BY SARAH SCHMIDT

ae Sek. 7 te rape drug ypnol is suspected to be at the root of several sexual assaults in the Hamilton area, including one at McMaster University.

Issuinga Statement January 30, the Hamilton- Wentworth Regional Police warned the community that they have identified a series of sexual assaults in the new year where Rohypnol is believed to have been used.

One of the three cases under investigation occurred at The Downstairs John, one of McMaster’s undergradu- ate pubs.

“We're putting a full media blitz out,” Staff Ser- poem Paul Morrison of the

jamilton- Wenworth Regional Police said. “We're making it very well known.”

Rohypnol comes in white or light-pink coloured pills and is 10 times more potent than Valium. It works almost im- mediately, producing the equivalent of an alcoholic — and is often oe pani temporary paraly- sis. The pbs peer on ourless tasteless. When spiked in a drink, it is virtually undetectable and makes un- suspecting women easy prey since they may black out and not remember the sexual as-

sault.

Jeff Dockeray, of undergraduate pubs for McMaster’s student union, says the news about the possi- bility of the date rape dru being used at a university pu

is very disturbing. it's shocking to us. We have never come across such incidents,” he said. Entry to McMaster undergraduate is restricted to students

he won't

speculate on whether the Master case involved a stu-

dent from the university.

“I aa hop it’s not running wild on this campus, he said.

As an awareness step, more posters about sexual as- sault, date rape and Rohypnol

went up last weekend at cam- pus pubs to make sure the students are aware of the re- cent incident.

The McMaster Univer- sity Sexual Assault Treatment Program has also advised the police that there are at least three more sexual assaults which occurred in downtown Hamilton in the last few weeks that have yet to be reported to the authorities.

Mary Keyes, assistant vice-president of student af- fairs, says the university has been informing students about the date rape drug, also known as the forget-me-pill or roofies, for two years now. But with the latest news, the university printed up more fact sheets and distributed them to all on-campus residents.

Rohypnol has been as- sociated with a slew of sexual assaults in Texas, Florida and California, and its use in docu- mented assault cases has been reported from Washington to Hong Kong.

In Canada, there are 20 cases under investigation in British Columbia ibly in- volving Rohypnol or similar drugs, with similar cases in a dozen other towns and Rohypnol has been in the shad- ows on other university cam- puses.

_ Last March, a Univer-

sity of Toronto student ap-

the campus police to

report having experienced

vo those in-

by a = sus-

ts a stran who was

at an off-campus bar may have slipped it in her drink.

This U of T account fell

eee McGill University leav- ing a university pub after ex-

ing similar symptoms.

women had made prior oe en frie and were brought home safely.

Neither woman was eens equate 1 hours for evidence of the drug in their systems.

But just last November,

a 21-year-old man who lives on the U of T campus in a

house owned by the university was charged with giving ma hydrax te toa 4-year-old gir he allegedly tried to attack at a ay Dubbed GHB or _— Ecstasy, it is another date rape Greet it hit the rave scene in Toronto over a year ago. While Roh lisabused by rapists for tempo amnesia and paralysis effect it has on a victim, GHB is asso- ciated with creating a sense of intense intoxication and an en- hancement of sexual interest. The Canadian Federa- tion of Students launched a nation-wide Rohyponol aware- ness campaign last year, while British Columbia’s Women’s uality Ministerannounced a E lic awareness campaign ast December in response to the growing number of stories of women being drugged at parties and bars and raped. But the University of Toronto and Brock University policed tsare the only two in the country with a as awareness campaign in place.

‘lan Paris, U of T’s safety coordinator, says more work needs to be done as a result of the McMaster rev-

The Cadre + 10 February 1998

The forth great garden of the gulf juried show

BY BILL MATTHEWS

The fourth Great Garden of the Gulf gallery event began in 1994 as a much needed vehicle for Island Artists. Unlike the rest of Canada, Prince Edward Island has no official provincial art gallery.

Hosted by the Confederation Center Art Gallery and Museum, this year’s show was a little different from those

vious, as it consisted of three jurors rather than one. thy Hooper and John Hooper of New Brunswick joined Erica Rutherford of PEI on the jury.

The response to the call for submissions was fairl large, with 155 pieces submitted by 94 artists. With this high number, it is obvious that there needs to be a more permanent venue for these works.

The submissions reflected the wide range of styles that the Island can inspire, ranging from traditional watercolours to mixed mediums of every a.

Some works of note include Tammy Peters’s ” Periods & Commas” -- a very nice mixed medium featuring a strong use of contrasting colour. Doreen Foster’s “The wisdom of the Ages” is a powerful and intricate watercolour. Brian Collins had two highly stylized and spotaneous drawings at the show: “Me and You” and “Inbetweens” which used various mediums including watercolor , graphite and pencil crayon.

The organizers hope that this show will generate a greater interest in the lems that the Artistic Community on Prince Edward Is face without a proper facility in which to display their work.

There will be a People's Choice Award where can vote for their favourite work. The show runs February 12.

GIVE SOMEONE A SECOND CHANCE.

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