<\/p>\n
It was the summer of 2013 when Hannah Keener, a Durango native, was at a bar in town when she realized something was wrong.<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew something was in my drink because I\u2019m sensitive to medicine,\u201d Keener said.<\/p>\n
She immediately went outside and began throwing up, which may have benefited her.<\/p>\n
Keener isn\u2019t sure exactly what was in her drink, but she believes someone put Rohypnol, better known as roofies, in her drink. The two friends she was with also had their drinks tampered with, as they couldn\u2019t remember anything the next morning.<\/p>\n
Luckily, they were OK after the ordeal, but that\u2019s not the case for everyone.<\/p>\n
One in four college women are date-raped or have date-rape attempts, with women ages 16 to 24 being four times more likely than other age groups to be attacked, according to the University of the Sciences website. Of the attacks, 90 percent possibly involve alcohol.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a problem everywhere,\u201d said Maura Doherty Demko, executive director of Sexual Assault Services Organization in Durango. \u201cDurango is equally affected as everywhere else.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Keener, this has not been the only attempt against her. While at college in Laramie, Wyoming, and while living in Brazil, she has received countless threats of sexual assault and rape.<\/p>\n
A 2007 Campus Sexual Assault Study reported that more than 50 percent of rapes on college campuses occur between August and November. This time period has become known as \u201cthe Red Zone.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network\u2019s website, acquaintance rape, better known as date rape, is \u201ccoercive sexual activities that occur against a person\u2019s will by means of force, violence, duress or fear of bodily injury\u201d by a known person to the victim.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe shame women a lot of the time for dressing too provocatively and drinking too much. We need to shift the blame to the perpetrator,\u201d Keener said. \u201cWe need to promote a society where it\u2019s OK to talk about sexual assault.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rita Warfield, patrol sergeant with the Durango Police Department, said alcohol is readily available in Durango, therefore making it the most-used date-rape drug here.<\/p>\n
Colorado law says that if a person is drunk, he or she cannot consent to sex, Demko said.<\/p>\n
Fort Lewis College received seven reports of sexual assault from 2008 to 2013, said Mitch Davis, public affairs officer at FLC.<\/p>\n
SASO reports 137 unduplicated clients last year, with 312 total calls, which includes follow-ups. There were 32 reports made by victims to law enforcement with 25 SASO advocates present at the reporting, Demko said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSexual assault is a chronically underreported crime,\u201d Davis said. \u201cWe try to provide education and support so students are not afraid to report (attacks).\u201d<\/p>\n
To help educate students, FLC requires them at orientation to attend a session put on by the theater department called \u201cThe Elephant in the Room,\u201d which covers sexual assault, binge drinking and other risky behaviors, Davis said.<\/p>\n
FLC is continuing to better its faculty and staff education through more training, said Molly Wieser, Title IX coordinator at the college.<\/p>\n
She advises students to report any incidents that occur on campus to help \u201cconnect the dots\u201d to make the campus safer.<\/p>\n
\u201cColleges want to do the right thing,\u201d Wieser said.<\/p>\n
Raising the awareness level of date rape can help resolve the issue, Keener said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou need to be aware,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
She also said people need to look out for their friends, to have a plan in case something happens and to not be afraid of asking the police department for help.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo means no,\u201d Warfield said. \u201cNo one deserves to be raped, and no one has the right to rape.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elaine Severson is a student intern in her junior year at Fort Lewis College.<\/p>\n
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted and needs help, or if you are looking for more information, call Sexual Assault Services Organization\u2019s office at 259-3074, or its 24-hour hotline at 247-5400.
\n For more information about sexual misconduct policies at Fort Lewis College, visit www.fortlewis.edu\/eo\/.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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