On Tuesday October 24th, 2006 the Townhouse RAs hosted Club Townhouse in the Grace Covell Tiger Lounge. Club Townhouse was a program put on in conjunction with Alcohol Awareness Week.

The event attempted to replicate the atmosphere of a typical party. There was music, lighting effects, food, a bouncer, and punch. The party acted as a setting to introduce Jennifer Buscalacchi, a Sexual Assault Coordinator from the San Joaquin Women’s Center.

Amidst the fun and festivities a girl suddenly seemed to pass out. The girl was Nichelle Redding, coordinator for the event, and she was acting, but it was an example of a common real life situation.

After this shocking spectacle, the guest speaker, Ms. Buscalacchi, took the floor to give a brief but informative speech about the date rape drugs.

She discussed the increasing popularity of the drug, its dangers and ways people can protect themselves from it. She explained that a large number of rapes in San Joaquin County are contributed to the use of date rape drugs such as Ecstasy, GHB (Gama Hydroxybutyric Acid), and Rohypnol.

Her suggested ways people could protect themselves from these harmful, and sometimes deadly drugs were:

• Never let anyone make you a drink
• Never let someone open your drink (especially at raves or large parties)
• Use the buddy system when you attend a party, and make sure it is someone you trust
• At bars, do not leave your drink unattended
  

She also said that 85% of rapes are date rapes, or in other words the person you are raped by is someone you know. It is important to be cautious when drinking because today date rape drugs are often put into drinks in liquid form. They are also tasteless, odorless and colorless.

It is a very scary and common issue that students especially need to be aware of. In 2005 in the San Joaquin Valley, according to Ms. Buscalacchi, 5,000 rapes were reported as having Ecstasy involved. The emphasis of the event was safety and awareness.

This event was part of a series of Alcohol Awareness events such as the casino night, Bright Lights and Cowboy Boots, Cans for Kids, and Alcohol Around the World. Students also signed pledges to be sober for the duration of Alcohol Awareness Week. The slogan for the week was Pacific Cares.

Comments (1)

	1. 05:05PM 11-08-2006
	Club Townhouse teaches the dangers of da More good info. Guest

mom

Write Comment

Please keep the topic of messages relevant to the subject of the article. Personal verbal attacks will be deleted. Please don't use comments to plug your web site. Such material will be removed. Just ensure to *Refresh* your browser for a new security code to be displayed prior to clicking on the 'Send' button. Keep in mind that the above process only applies if you simply entered the wrong security code.
Name:
BBCode:
Comment:
Code:*

Send to: