By Gabrielle Liu – Editor-in-Chief

Students are encouraged to use drink covers in response to a rise in reported drink-spiking cases on campus and in the Sherbrooke area. Saliva tests are set to arrive in the coming weeks, according to key leaders in the response. Drink covers are offered at the bar and security of the Gait, Security, the SRC Office, safety tents and upon request with residence assistants. The incoming saliva tests will be offered at the Health Clinic and Security for free.

Drink spiking is the nonconsensual placement of drugs in someone else’s drink. It is not someone’s fault if they have their drink spiked, and they shouldn’t have to protect themselves, emphasizes both vice principal of student affairs Stine Linden-Anderson and Olivia Woods, the SRC’s vice president of student life. However, there are precautions they can take, and drink covers prove to be the most effective defensive method based on research she’s seen, says Linden-Anderson. “If a drug can’t get into the drink that’s the best [preventative] measure,” said Carson Brooks, manager of Security. 

“Our number one priority is to stop this from happening, stop perpetrators from doing this”, says Linden-Anderson. The patron scanner at the Gait allows Bishop’s to know who is in the bar. There is a camera system inside and outside of the Gait, with Brooks detailing that the system inside the Gait employs facial recognition technology. Combined, the camera system and the patron scanner could allow Security to identify individuals, he says. Students entering the bar are patted down before coming in. However, Linden-Anderson notes that some drugs have become extremely powerful in very small amounts, difficult to find if concealed on the body.

The Health Clinic has ordered saliva tests that should arrive in the coming weeks, ideally before Gait Gatsby, says Kendra Brock, manager of health services. According to Brock, they will test for 11 types of substances using one saliva sample. They are capable of detecting substances up to 8 to 12 hours after ingestion. She notes that these tests are not 100 per cent accurate, they may yield a positive because of a medication a student is taking, and drinks may have been spiked with a substance the test does not detect.

The tests will be available at the Health Clinic and Security, the latter open 24/7. Requests for appointments to test at the clinic would be prioritised as soon as possible, Brock said. On weekends and non-business hours, students can go to Security.

Brock says she has placed in a new order of drink testing bracelets. During Halloween weekend, students had access to drink testing bracelets and coasters at safety tents. Linden-Anderson, Brooks, and Brock all cautioned that students should not have a false sense of security with the tools, because protecting your drink, such as by using a night cap, is the best defensive measure. Brock recommends using the bracelets when you have a suspicion about your drink. Symptoms to watch out for are a sudden onset of intense dizziness, nausea or vomiting, she says, emphasizing the symptoms will come on much quicker than you’d experience with one drink. Many drugs metabolize and exit your system quickly, Brooks said, adding complexity to the tests.

According to Woods, students had directly emailed the SRC that their drinks had been spiked, prompting a working group to address the issue. The group includes Woods, Linden-Anderson, Brooks, Brock, director of student life and student services Theresa Gagnon and both managers of the SRC. The group shares members with but is different from the Safer Substance Week Committee, Woods clarified.

Brooks mentions that Security works with a liaison offer from the Sherbrooke police on a regular basis. He reached out to the officer, who informed them that reports of drink spiking is occurring in the general Sherbrooke area as well. 

The tests are “giving [students] at least some type of control itself, but they just have to be aware that it’s not an absolute,” says Brock. Saliva tests are coming as an option for students that previously did not exist, and could be used for internal purposes if reliable. The saliva test results coming to campus could not be used in court (unless determined to be admissible by authorities), and only blood or urine tests done in the hospital would be valid, Brock later wrote in a message. 

Woods emphasized that students should bring someone with them to the hospital to help advocate for them, and to insist on taking and paying for a blood or urine test. 

If students suspect their drink or a friend’s drink has been spiked off campus, students must contact police; Security can not respond to calls off-campus because of their jurisdiction. However, Security could dispatch Student Safety on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. Student Safety can help evaluate the situation, call for additional help or assist students back to campus. If students can make it back to campus, either with help or on their own, they could be brought to Safe Haven, receive a medical evaluation, and/or take a saliva test from Security if they wanted one. It would never be given without consent, Kendra Brock emphasized. Linden-Anderson underscored that a student should not go home alone if they suspect their drink has been spiked.

Brooks states that Security is working with a security consultant that is assisting with general reports, not limited to drink spiking. He says the consultant has reached out to every person involved in a suspected drugging case and offered for them to come meet. From this, they could gather information to try to pinpoint times or find patterns. “Unfortunately we haven’t been able to pinpoint [or] determine exactly when and who’s doing it, but hopefully with people who feel comfortable coming forward, eventually we’ll gather enough information to, maybe [by] working with the police, be able to determine more where this is coming from.” 

“It seems like it’s done more in a malicious fashion because a lot of the times the people are with friends. It’s not a question of [if] they’re by themselves or walking home alone afterwards. They’re with someone when this seems to happen,” said Brooks. “Druggings used to have direct link with sexual assault. It doesn’t seem to be the case for this. It really seems like someone is doing this just to be malicious,” he said. 

Woods emphasized that it was unfortunate students even need to take precautionary measures, but reminds students to never accept drinks from strangers, to stick with friends who are displaying different behaviour and to buy a new drink because it is better to be safe than sorry. A video by the SRC highlighted that drink spiking affects people of all genders.

“If you do suspect someone is spiking drinks, do reach out. Take action about what is happening because this changes lives,” underscored Woods. She adds that “If you are shaming someone for using a drink cover, you are contributing to the problem.”