A Different Type of White Van
Trigger Warning: There is conversation of drugs, sexual assaults, and other sensitive subjects within this piece. Please look after yourself and view the resources at the end of the article.
“The best time of my life was when I was in college” is what my mom said to me as I struggled to find motivation in my college search. My mind ran wild with thoughts of big parties, hot boys, jungle juice, fraternities and sororities and drunk college kids making bad decisions. But what I didn’t envision was the inevitable, quiet reality of college life that lurked in the background.
Growing up, my parents would create scenarios to prepare me for what I would do if I was caught in a bad situation. My mom would ask me, “Zoë, if a white van drove up to you while you were walking downtown with a man inside who says he has puppies in the back, what do you do and what do you say?”
“Well, I would say ‘No thank you’ and keep walking,” I’d reply.
My mom would respond, “What if he followed you?”
“I would run.”
My dad told me I could fight off anyone and do anything in self-defense. That includes biting, hitting, scratching, etc. While this makes me feel empowered, I am frustrated that girls have to be taught this to feel safe. What my parents didn’t tell me was that out there, in our big, blue world, there is a different type of white van. One where the driver and the make of the car is unknown.
On Wednesday, January 10th, 2024, I was drugged. I don’t know how, I don’t know why, and I don’t know when. Those basic, elementary 5 W's will never be answered. Living as a woman in this country, I grew up watching movies, reading articles, and hearing stories of women getting roofied at bars, parties, clubs, etc. Although I engaged in these stories, I never thought it would happen to me. In fact, I can almost guarantee that no one thinks it will be them.
I had a single drink at a pregame with my friends before leaving to our separate events.. I found my friends at my event, opened another drink, and bounced around. Out of nowhere, I felt myself slipping into a space I didn’t recognize. Everything became overwhelming, and the words coming out of my mouth were not coherent, let alone other people’s words. One common side effect of being drugged is unusual behavior, or weird actions such as being overly aggressive or angry, which I was when someone told me “You need to learn how to handle your alcohol”. I listened to my body, promptly left the event, and walked home, as, by this point, my brain was completely shut off. Loss of memory and/or consciousness is also another symptom of being drugged. My best friend, who I called on the walk home, drove to my house and let me cry in her arms. She drove me to her house, a place I know, a place I am comfortable in, a place that I don’t remember entering that night.
I woke up at the next morning in clothes that were not mine, with a towel drenched in throw-up hanging off the side of the bed. I couldn’t recall any events that happened from 11:30 pm till the time I woke up. My body was sore and in pain, and my brain was foggy. I turned to see my friend looking at me with sadness and remorse. She began to recount the events I could not remember.
The night before, once I stepped foot in her bathroom, I started throwing up as one would if they were too drunk, though I’d barely had anything to drink. At one point, she said my head was fully in the toilet. Apparently, the words coming out of my mouth were gibberish. No sentences were making sense, and I couldn’t lift my body up. She got me out of the bathroom, put me in pajamas, laid me down and set a trash can off to the side to collect the never-ending puke coming out of me.
When I got home after my nightmare of a night, I couldn’t leave my bed. My body was weak, my head was still foggy, and my anxiety was creeping through every vein. I couldn’t stay upright for long periods of time, and the tears never stopped flowing. It wasn’t until Saturday that I was finally able to look up the types of roofies.
The most common roofie drugs include GHB (gamma hydroxybutyric acid), ketamine, and rohypnol. GHB is an odorless liquid, ketamine is a white powder, and rohypnol is a pill that can dissolve in liquid (Illinois Department of Public Health). Many times, these drugs are dropped into open containers, unbeknownst to the consumer. Statistics have shown that 1 in 13 college students have reported being drugged during their 4 years of undergraduate studies or suspected they were drugged (Life Science). Most of these drugs kick in and impact an individual within 15-30 minutes (Stanford).
Women have always been told to watch their drinks, hold their hand over it so no one can drop anything in, purchase nail polish that detects drugs, have a drink cover in the form of a scrunchie, or even to not drink while at parties and bars. But why can’t we just not drug others? What makes it so hard to ban roofies? Why should I always be on guard in case someone wants to ruin my night or even my life?
This is a prevalent issue within the University of Oregon campus as of right now. In fact, fraternities on campus have halted parties for the rest of winter term due to the amount of drugging cases. I want to preface that it is NEVER your fault if someone drops something into your drink, but I also want to include ways to stay even more safe. Never let someone open your drink for you, and if they do, watch them open it. Don’t take open drinks and don’t sip out of drinks that aren’t yours. Don’t leave your drink unattended. Take it with you everywhere you go and keep it in front of you and covered. Most importantly, listen to your body. Follow your intuition and if you feel as though something is abnormal, tell a friend or someone sober that you think something happened (Amherst Police Department).
Depending on the drug, roofies only stay in your system between 8-72 hours (Life Centre). If you or someone you know feels as though they have been drugged, go to the hospital immediately to get blood work done. Every experience is different, and you don’t think it will happen to you until it does. I have inserted resources within the University of Oregon campus, as well as nationally known resources. Please look after yourself and your friends, you could save their life.
If you believe that you were drugged, you can make a report on the University of Oregon’s Dean of Students page. You can email conduct@uoregon.edu or you can talk to a mandated reporter on campus, as many professors and staff members are. In order for justice to happen, the report cannot be anonymous, as they don’t have any way of getting back to you to follow up, or you can have a friend report for you. The University of Oregon is offering reimbursements for toxicology screenings if you believe you were drugged. Please look after yourself and your friends, you could save their life.
Resources
If you are in immediate danger, please call 911.
After-Hours UO Counseling Support: Please call 541-346-3227 if the counseling center is closed. You will be connected with a mental health professional who will help you.
Care and Advocacy Program: They give students resources and support for personal crises, mental health, unexpected situations, etc. Please call 541-346-3216.
SAFE Hotline: This is a 24 hour hotline that connects you with confidential sources. Please call 541-346-7233
The White Bird Clinic : They provide Cahoots which is a van that responds to non-criminal situations such as substance abuse, mental or emotional crises, welfare checks, etc.
PeaceHealth Riverbend Sacred Heart Medical Center: The hospital is located at 3333 Riverbend Dr, Springfield, OR 97477. The emergency room has walk-in services where you are able to get tested, as the University of Oregon Health Center is closed on the weekends.