Roofer Madness

We've probably seen enough newsprint about rohypnol to last us many lifetimes. We've heard all the stories, too: rohypnol has been involved in incidents around the university. Rohypnol has not been involved in incidents around the university. Date rape is a serious problem. Date rape is not a serious problem. There have been zero cases of reported rape here in the past five years (thanks to the good work of the university police).

Thankfully, however, most people are able to sort out fact from fiction. We know that in spite of police statistics, rape occurs on these very grounds. But in the case of rohypnol, there have been so many different reports that we can't even begin to untangle them. We are swamped in a daily barrage of misinformation.

Contrary to popular belief, this cycle of misinformation has its consequences. Someone has been accused of a devastating crime. There is a student body convinced that a sensationalized drug is a significant threat to their personal safety. There is a victim. And unfortunately, there are far too many who have overlooked these people, who have twisted the facts in an effort to pursue their own personal agenda.

Amid all this, however, there's only one story that people should know -- as Director of Student Health, Dr. James Turner said time and time again last week, no one at the University of Virginia has ever tested positive for rohypnol. Despite whatever you may read about rohypnol having "struck" U.Va., you have to take the time to sort through the various forms of bullshit that assault you to realize that one thing. Although rohypnol is a potentially dangerous and certainly frightening drug, its use is far from widespread. Who would use rohypnol when alcohol is cheaper, easier, readily available, and usually voluntary?

But that's not what you hear or read about. You hear insinuations, allegations, and flat out fictions reported as fact. You hear that the girl was drunk and high or that the boy had been arrested before. That rohypnol could be highly prevalent at U.Va. (my personal favorite). So what if the case hasn't been resolved? So what if rohypnol had absolutely nothing to do with the alleged incident? That's irrelevant. A person willing to go on record is all that's necessary.

Almost worse is that among the din, few have realized an excellent opportunity to take a look at the our own misconceptions about rape. Like a water safety course that deals exclusively with the threat of giant octopus attacks, the cheap scare tactics we've been subjected to hardly qualifies as valuable information. And in the bargain, it cheapens the experiences of two students who will and should always be the only ones who know exactly what happened.

Kate Zimmerman

Viewpoint consists of the majority opinion of the managing board of The Declaration and is written by the executive editor on a weekly basis.