Widespread rumors of a spike in on-campus sexual assaults have put Dartmouth administrators on alert, although few facts have been established amid a flurry of allegations.
Several Dartmouth administrators expressed concern about the assault rumors, but they also said that they were not aware of any specific cases of sexual assault at this point.
Although some of the email messages forwarded about the sexual assault cases have forged a link with members of a specific social organization at Dartmouth, no administrator interviewed by The Dartmouth said that any evidence for these allegations currently exists.
Abby Tassel, coordinator of Dartmouth's sexual abuse awareness program, was away at the end of the last week and said she was surprised to return home to an inbox full of BlitzMail messages about possible sexual assault cases.
Tassel said in a BlitzMail message to The Dartmouth that it seemed that there has been "a tremendous amount of misinformation flying about in my absence."
Tassel said that she was not aware of any specific cases of sexual assault over the past two weeks.
Sergeant Rebel Roberts of the Department of Safety and Security also said that no cases of sexual assault have been reported to Safety and Security either in the past two weeks, although one student did call to ask for information about sexual abuse.
Roberts said, however, that due to the way systems for reporting sexual abuse at Dartmouth work, Safety and Security might well be unaware of any recent sexual assaults.
While some students who are sexually assaulted might choose to report the incident to Safety and Security or to the Hanover Police, others might choose to report the incident only to Tassel or only to their Undergraduate Advisors, she said.
No complaints of sexual assault have been filed with the Hanover Police either, according to Hanover Police Department Chief Nick Giaccone.
Elizabeth Hirsh, director of women's health at Dick's House, said that Dick's House has not treated any women for sexual assault. Again, Hirsh recognized that women may have been assaulted but may not necessarily have sought medical treatment from Dick's House.
Giavanna Munafo, director of the Center for Women and Gender, had heard "many of the same rumors that everyone else has," but she, too, said she was unaware of any specific cases of sexual assault.
Similarly, while some BlitzMail messages said specifically that three women had been sexually assaulted, no Dartmouth administrator who spoke with The Dartmouth had any evidence to could confirm that number.
According to Dean of Residential Life Martin Redman, the Office of Residential Life was not aware of any specific cases of sexual assault either, but UGAs were nonetheless given information about how their students might best stay safe at parties.
Redman theorized that the situation started "as a comment to someone started as a comment to someone that got misinterpreted and started snowballing."
While several versions of the BlitzMail messages circulated warned recipients about rohypnol, a sleep-inducing prescription medication that is illegal in the United States, Tassel said that she thought it unlikely that rohypnol would be used.
Tassel said that many Dartmouth students have spoken to her throughout her time at Dartmouth about the possibility that they have been drugged at parties.
None of these students has ever tested positive for rohypnol, Tassel said, although the drug acts so quickly that victims need to be tested immediately for the test to come back positive.
Nonetheless, Tassel has frequently had conversations with other Dartmouth administrators about the possibility that such drugs might be used and has tried to raise awareness about the effects of such drugs, she said.
Tassel thought it more likely that gamma-hydroxybutyrate, a drug with similar effects, has been used at Dartmouth parties.
Most cases of the use of rohypnol have occurred at universities nearer to the Mexican border, Tassel said, since rohypnol is legal in Mexico.
While GHB "isn't legal in the U.S. either, it's really easy to make with things that are legal," Tassel said.
Similarly, while rohypnol comes in pill form, GHB comes as a liquid, making it easier to mix with drinks, according to Tassel.
Also, the manufacturers of rohypnol are aware of some of the ways that it has been abused, Tassel said, and have included ingredients to make any drink mixed with rohypnol turn blue.
