University of Missouri student shares story of drugging
When a student at the University of Missouri woke up with head and face injuries and no memory of the night before, she realized something was terribly wrong.
“When I woke up the next morning I had terrible pain in my head and neck and I felt like my lip was cracked,” said the woman, who is being given anonymity to protect her identity. “I looked down, I was just wearing my socks and I was on a bed next to the man.”
The student decided to share her story as the University of Missouri continues to receive reports of alcoholic beverages as a means of sexual assault. She hopes that talking will help other people feel safe sharing their stories.
The university’s police department said in a message to campus on Friday that MU has received reports of alcoholic beverages at various locations, including fraternity social events. Police say they are investigating the reports with Columbia police.
The student is not alone in her experience. MU in its annual Clery Act report says 12 violations were reported on campus in 2019. Seven more were reported off-campus. Eight cases of fondling were reported on campus.
And experts say there are likely countless cases that are never reported.
‘So I don’t remember anything
One night in March, the woman headed to an off-campus party with some of her friends. That night he thinks she was drugged.
“I got drunk really fast. I don’t even remember a period where I was drunk, I was sober and then I don’t remember anything,” he said.
The next day she wasn’t sure what happened. She said her memory of the night was blurry until she began receiving harassing text messages from a man who she believes sexually assaulted her. He admitted in those messages that she was unconscious during sex, he says.
So she contacted True North Columbia, a resource for domestic and sexual violence, and was advised to obtain a restraining order and file a police report. He said Columbia police investigated for nearly four months, but charges were never filed.
“It wasn’t until early August that they decided they weren’t going to go ahead. Because even though we have the text message admitting it, there wasn’t enough evidence to show that he sent the text message,” the woman said.
He then asked MU for an investigation under Title IX, a federal law that prohibits sex discrimination on college campuses. The university’s Office for Civil Rights and Title IX investigates sexual assault cases involving members of the campus community.
The investigation has just concluded and the student judicial process will continue. She said a hearing is scheduled next month with the university on the possibility of applying academic punishment against the man accused of raping her.
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