When a mass email went out from the University of New Brunswick’s Director of Security, advising students to protect themselves from ‘drink-spiking’, many found it alarming.
“It’s really scary,” said Jordana Stanford, a fourth-year student at UNB. “It makes me scared to go out now.”
The email indicated that campus security had received “disclosures from students of suspected drink-spiking incidents that have resulted in emergency room care.”
“It definitely makes me more vigilant about going out.” – Jordana Stanford, UNB Student
However, some students pointed more to what wasn’t on the email than what was.
“At first I was just like wow, it’s that serious of a problem,” said fifth-year UNB student Zach Hilchey.
“But the problem is it’s almost a false sense of solution in my opinion, because it kind of approaches it from the victim’s perspective and not the perpetrator.”
Hilchey says making sure students know how to be safe is important but a strong message against drink-spiking is needed as well.
“We also need to be educating and making it clear,” he said. “This isn’t right, that’s somebody’s daughter.”