Student Tests Positive for Date Rape Drug After Frat Party at Brown

A student at Brown University tested positive for the date-rape drug GHB after drinking punch at a fraternity party.

The student who tested positive and another student drank an alcoholic punch mixture at a party thrown by Phi Kappa Psi fraternity at Sears House on Oct. 17. They both later reported a “a rapid onset of intoxication,” according to the Providence Daily Journal.

GHB, which sometimes goes by the street name Liquid Ecstasy, has a history of being abused because of its euphoric and calming effects, according to information from the federal Drug Enforcement Agency. GHB became popular among teenagers and young adults at dance clubs and “raves” during the 1990s and later gained notoriety as a date-rape drug.

Vice president for Campus Life and Student Services at Brown Margaret Klawunn sent a campus-wide email in compliance with the Clery Act to inform the student body and staff of the incident:

The federal Clery Act requires colleges to issue timely campus alerts about crimes as a security precaution. In the past, alerts at colleges generally have focused on robberies, car thefts and other property crimes. But recently the federal guidance to colleges has included “credible reports” of date-rape drugs as representing an ongoing threat to the campus community which should be considered as a reason for the timely warning.

The college is asking anyone who may information related to the Oct. 17 incident to contact Sgt. John Carvalho at the Brown University Department of Public Safety at (401) 863-3322.

Test results for the second student who experienced the symptoms are still pending, according to Klawunn’s email. Klawunn also stated the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity was suspended.

In the wake of this latest incident, Boston.com provided a look back at Brown’s history with handling sexual assault cases on campus:

In fact, it was the accusation of campus officials mishandling a sex assault case in 1996 that first sparked a national reform movement in how colleges handle cases.

Before the Adam Lack sexual misconduct case, in 1990, a list appeared on the bathroom walls at Brown University’s library. Women had made a list of male students who the women said had raped them.

In 2013, the University was again criticized for its handling of Lena Sclove’s case. She accused fellow student Daniel Kopin of rape and while the school found him “responsible for sexual misconduct,” he was allowed to return to return to campus after a paltry one-year suspension. (Kopin opted not to return and Brown promised students the school would “accelerate” a review of its sexual assault policies.) That same year two freshmen football players were ordered off campus following allegations they sexually assaulted a woman who has a student at Providence College.