COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Over the past few days, Texas A&M University police have taken two separate reports from two female students who believed their drinks had been drugged at fraternity tailgates the afternoon of the Sept. 17 Aggie football game.
Though police would not elaborate on details of those reports, neither report states that an incident of sexual assault was alleged, and the reports did not clarify which fraternity tailgates were in question.
Wednesday afternoon, KRHD stopped by the Memorial Student Center to talk to A&M students about whether the drugging of drinks is something that happens in Aggieland, and how the threat of drugging affects people’s precautions they take when attending events.
“[A person I know] was at the bar," said Andrew Merrick, a Texas A&M junior. "Actually, this was crazy – it was a guy; a girl [drugging] a guy, which is really rare. He was at a bar with this girl. We don’t really know how he got over there, but he had relations with her at her house, and had no idea how he got there.”
The students KRHD spoke with, especially young women, shared that they always have a safety plan when they’re going to a party, bar, or concert. The danger of 'date rape' drugs and other physical threats are regularly on their minds.
“I feel like the most important thing is having people that you’re safe and comfortable with there, watching drinks and things like that," said Brooke Helton, a Texas A&M sophomore.
But how do you know if your drink has been drugged, or if you’re just tired, or sick?
Tampered drinks may taste bitter or salty, may appear foggy, may have an unusual color, or contain visible flecks and particles. But some drugs added to drinks may not impact appearance or taste at all.
Texas A&M’s office of student life explains that an incapacitating drug can cause a person to feel sluggish or drowsy. The victim may suffer memory loss, act confused, and may hallucinate.
University police want to encourage students that even if they're not sure whether they've been drugged, they not hesitate to report.
“Still contact law enforcement and seek medical attention," said spokesperson Lt. Bobby Richardson. "And obviously the medical folks will be able to determine that, but definitely contact law enforcement, because we want to know and be able to report it. I mean, some of the side effects of these drugs and you forget things, so we want to know.”
KRHD spoke to a few Texas A&M students who were not comfortable going on camera but did share that they knew people personally who had been drugged or sexually assaulted.
Anonymous sexual assault reporting for students can be found at TELL SOMEBODY (tamu.edu). University police can be reached by visiting: Report a Crime (tamu.edu). Support for survivors can be found through the Sexual Assault Resource Center at SARC (sarcbv.org).