To: Reiner Prochaska
From: Gigi Win
Date: November 6, 2021
Subject: Date Rape Prevention with Sipchip
In order to reduce the sexual assault cases and date rape victims at Towson University, I am proposing a program to supply students with the tools and information to help prevent sexual assault. Date rape is defined as a type of acquaintance rape, and it refers to sexual assault perpetuated by a partner, date, casual acquaintance, or friend through techniques such as substances or violence (Becker, 2020). It is the most prevalent type of sexual violence on college campuses (Sampson, 2011). Becker (2020) mentioned that date rape incidents account for approximately 90% of rapes committed on college campuses. Sampson (2011) further noted that alcohol has been found to play a key role in acquaintance rape. Krebs, Lindquist, Warner, Fisher, & Martin (2008) also pointed out that alcohol consumption by victims of sexual assault is a significant risk factor. Fox (2021) contends that alcohol consumption complicates the effects of date rape drugs by compounding symptoms such as seizures, comas, or apnea.
In particular, sexual assault incidents are a common problem on college campuses and frequently go unreported. Female students of all races and ages are particularly at a higher risk of being a victim of sexual assault. One out of every five female students in college is a victim of sexual harassment (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, n.d.). Alcohol consumption and the use of drugs often play a part in these sexual harassment cases. A study conducted by Carey, Durney, & Shepardson (2015) published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs established that 15% of young women fell victim to incapacitated rape in their freshman year. Out of of these cases 4.9% coincided with the use of date rape drugs.
The University has made a commitment to eradicate sexual assault on campus and building a community that offers support to the victims and survivors. To expand on the efforts of the university I am providing a working model based on the model implemented by the Brandeis University. This program would make date rape test kits that allow users to test if their drink has been compromised with drugs available at the university health center and would teach students how to use them appropriately. The kits will also be deployed in student living quarters, the student center, fraternity houses, and campus bars. Specifically, the SipChip
developed by Undercover Colors would be an ideal tool to have available to students. This product works by placing a drop of a drink on the sample port. The device then displays one line meaning the drink has been spiked or two lines meaning the drinks are safe. The product screens for the most common date rape drugs, including Flunitrazepam (Roofies), Temazepam (Restoril), Alprazolam (Xanax), Oxazepam (Serax), Midazolam (Versed), and Diazepam (Valium).
If approved for this topic the next steps would include reaching out to health and public safety services at Towson University about interest in a pilot program. Individuals of focus include: Yu-Ling Shao (Director of University Health Services), Alison Rohrbach (Associate Director of University Health Services), and Charles Herring (Director of Public Safety & Chief of Police). Additionally, I intend to reach out to undercover colors about creating a partnership opportunity to utilize their product at Towson University. This project does not need to stop with Towson university involvement, though. A successful formation of a pilot program could help promote similar programs at other universities. The ultimate goal should be to inform college students of sexual assault and provide them with the tools to help prevent them becoming a victim.
We have been discussing the content and structure of cover letters/memos in class for a few weeks. I provided samples from successful proposals from previous semesters. I also provided the following feedback to the cover letter you submitted for your final draft of the persuasive message:
This document should be short, concise, and free of any technical language; do NOT summarize the proposal. Single-spaced, this letter or memo should not exceed three-quarters of a page.
• Intro paragraph: brief background and clear, concise purpose statement
• Body paragraph: brief summary of a major finding (solution/working model)
• Concluding paragraph: next step(s)
The above is not a cover letter. More seriously, most of the information in it comes (mostly verbatim with only a couple of minor exceptions) directly from the topic memo Garrett submitted nine weeks ago.
For the final draft, please create a cover memo (for each of your actual publishers) that adheres to the guidelines I highlighted above. Let me know if you need help.
The SipChip Win
The project to develop SipChip was initiated in 2015 by a team of four engineering students at the North Carolina State University. The project first started as a nail polish that could identify common date rape substances. The user inserts a polished fingernail into a beverage and the color of the nail polish will be altered in case the drink has been compromised with date rape drugs. However, the product presented a problem because the chemical used to detect date rape drugs comes into contact with the user’s beverage and skin. Consequently, the product could not gain approval from the FDA (Fox, 2021). The developers went back to the drawing board and came up with a testing device that is roughly the size of a quarter.
In September 2018, the developers introduced the new device in the market under their registered startup, Undercover Colors. According to Businesswire.com (2018), the device is the most inclusive device for detecting date rape substances. The gadget is intended for individual use due to its minute size, portability, and the ability to test for date rape drugs in beverages within 30 seconds to 3 minutes. The devise has a name that can be easily remembered and while the technology is sophisticated, the inventors made an intentional effort to make it as user friendly as possible. The inventors also selected a name that is easy to remember to ensure that telling others about the device could be easy.
The device has specialized on the advancements in lateral flow technology and the discreet device can detect more of the popular date rape drugs in more than 100 beverages. There is no other test kit available in the market that has this unmatched potential. In case a person has any doubts concerning their drink, a single drop of the beverage on the SipChip is capable of establishing if the drink is safe to consume or not. Just like a pregnancy test, the uses lateral flow technology to display a single line if the presence of date rape drugs is detected and two lines in the absence of drugs.
It is worth noting that gender and age are not predictors in cases of drug-facilitated sexual assault. Businesswire.com (2022) mentioned that 56% of women and 46% of men reported having their beverages or meals compromised with a drug unknowingly. Although the user of the SipChip does not solve the complex issue of sexual assault, the device offers a solution to one of the notable risk factors attributed to sexual harassment and helps the individual make an informed decision. Most people who are victims of spiked drinks are aware that a beverage can be compromised in a matter of seconds and it just takes a brief turn away from the table or a quick dash to the restroom. Luckily, carrying a SipChip that can attach to a key chain, smartphone, or wallet makes it easy to secretly test if a beverage has been adulterated. If the device detects the existence of date rape substances, the person can take instant action by notifying the relevant authorities or, if the person ends up consuming the drink, seek necessary medical care before the drug takes effect. According to Brandeis University (2021), SipChips can test for common date rape drugs such as Flunitrazepam (Roofies), Temazepam (Restoril), Alprazolam (Xanax), Oxazepam (Serax), Midazolam (Versed), and Diazepam (Valium).
Gigi—
The purpose of the “Implementation” section is to provide concrete, specific details on how your group’s solution will be made a reality. Please avoid the “college essay” approach that includes historical background facts that are ultimately not relevant to your objective.
Please eliminate the section above.
Brandeis University Working Model Win
The Brandeis Student Union funded the acquisition of SipChips to be made accessible to any student for free in the spring of 2020. Students were educated on the importance of the device and how to use the device. Additionally, students were educated on the common symptoms to look out for in case of consuming a spiked drink or food. Some of the symptoms include trouble breathing, feeling intoxicated when very little or no alcoholic substance has been consumed, nausea, complications with controlling bladder or bowel movements, abrupt fluctuations in body temperature (chattering teeth or abnormal sweating), sudden disorientation, blurred vision, or dizziness, awareness of the assault but inability to speak or move during the assault, and waking up to memory lapse or no memory at all (Brandeis University, 2021). The devices were deployed in various locations within the campus, such as the student center, restrooms in the different college bars on campus, student living quarters, and fraternity houses. Students were also encouraged to collect the devices from any of the locations the devices have been deployed.
The ”Working Model(s)” section is Garrett’s area of responsibility. Please delete the paragraph on Brandeis University.
Implementation Win
The program will be implemented from the beginning of January 2022, spring semester. Initially, the university’s student union will provide funding for the purchase of SipChips. The devices will be purchased from the company’s website, SipChip.com. According to Businesswire.com (2018), the devices are available in three, five, or ten packs that contain single-use kits starting at $14.99 USD. The target is to purchase at least 6,000 test kits. This figure represents roughly one-quarter of the student population at the university. It is worth noting that not all students will find the need to use the kits. The estimated cost of acquiring the SipChips in the first round is approximately $84,000 USD. This figure is the estimated cost of acquiring the kits each semester. TU will spend almost $90,000 each semester on these kits?
Students will be educated on the importance of the device and how to use the device. Additionally, students will be educated on the common symptoms to look out for in case of consuming a spiked drink or food through an on-campus awareness campaign. The awareness campaign shall involve setting up posters throughout the campus notice boards with information and infographics on how to use the SipChips. Additional information will also be disseminated through the university’s online student portal. The sensitization or awareness campaign shall commence a week before the purchase and deployment of the SipChips and the awareness program shall be done on an ongoing basis each subsequent semester. The devices were deployed in various locations within the campus, such as the student center, restrooms in the different college bars on campus, student living quarters, and fraternity houses. Students were also encouraged to collect the devices from any of the locations the devices have been deployed.
It is important to note that the cost of acquiring the SipChips is high and can be prohibitive in efforts to address the problem of drug-facilitated date rape. The student union alone will not be able to fund the project sustainably in the long-run. Consequently, the project proposes that the student union will prepare a grant proposal to charity organizations that fund sexual assault prevention programs. Some of the organizations that the student council will approach to offer funding include the Collective Future Fund, Channel Foundation, and the Global Fund for Women as well as the NoVo Foundation. The rationale for selecting these organizations is based on their work or efforts at tackling sexual abuse in the society. Currently, a huge proportion of the financing for sexual assault prevention is offered through regional or state community foundations. Besides, these community organizations, several nationally and internationally-focused private organizations also provide funding for sexual assault prevention initiatives (Marek, 2021). These organizations and foundations will be approached to provide funding for the purchase of SipChips.
The programs that these organizations or foundations have invested in have been well-documented. Marek (2021) noted that the Channel Foundation runs several programs that deal with the prevention of violence against women. The biggest of these initiatives is the “Ending Violence Against Women Initiative.” The foundation offers grants that usually range from $2,000 to $30,000 USD. The Collective Future Fund is an initiative that involves collaboration among movements for social justice, donors, and survivors in a bid to shape a future that is free from sexual violence and harassment. It is sponsored by the Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. One of the main areas of focus for the Global Fund for Women is ending gender-based violence. The fund has provided funding to numerous organizations across the globe, with its database indicating more than 2,600 organizations as beneficiaries of the fund. The NoVo Foundation is one of the private-owned foundations that have invested substantially toward the problem of sexual assault and abuse. One of the biggest contributions the foundation has made is a USD $3.3 Million grant to the Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors to support a collaborative child sex abuse prevention initiative in 2015 (Marek, 2021). The student union will approach these organizations with detailed grant proposals to provide funding for implementing and sustaining the drug-assisted date rape prevention initiative using SipChip in the university.
Gigi—
The above is not an “Implementation” section. It’s a combination between a research paper and wishful thinking (I doubt anyone at TU has committed to purchasing almost $90,000 worth of SipChips).
Again, the objective of this assignment is to develop a feasible, real-life solution. Before you start over (there will be very little that you can salvage for the final draft), decide as a group what you are realistically hoping to achieve, and who your publishers will be. If you want to make the Sipchips (or a similar product) available to TU students, develop the following aspects:
• Product details: Name, description, price, user reviews, purchasing information, etc.
• Publishers: Who will collaborate with you, and in what capacity? Include names, titles, and contact information.
• The “Awareness Campaign” you mention will have to be organized by you. Where will it be held? When? What approvals do you need? This could have been the single focus of a proposal—so, we need all the details.
• Develop all the marketing materials, poster, messages, press releases, educational materials etc. They must be part of the final draft. Figure out how much it will cost to print them (a virtual “roll-out” would be much less expensive) and then figure out how to pay for all of it.
• How will the product be made available to students? Expecting TU to purchase the product and give it away to students is not a realistic expectation. Can an organization on campus purchase them in bulk to offer students a discount? Also, some students will be able to afford $14.99 to simply buy the product themselves.
• Provide more specific details about grant opportunities. Then figure out who will write and submit the grant proposals.
Divide the section into sub-sections and designate each with a clear, specific, descriptive header.
Gigi, Garrett, and Josh—
Please see my in-text and margin comments above.
I have some serious concerns regarding the feasibility of this project. Before you can embark on a meaningful revision process, you will have to figure out as a group what you are realistically hoping to achieve.
Once you are clear about your objective, figure out who your publishers need to be. My name is listed on the title page of this draft, but beyond that, it is unclear to me how I would be involved. Since I have agreed to be the faculty advisor for the Sexual Assault Prevention club being formed in the other section of ENGL 318 I am teaching, a collaboration between your group and them is certainly possible in the future, but that will need to be coordinated and documented in your proposal.
You will have time to revise this document for the final draft, but I urge you to get started now. A successful final draft will require a significant level of effort—particularly the “Implementation” section.
If you need help, let me know.
References
“Bringing in the Bystander®.” Culture of Respect, 22 Oct. 2021, cultureofrespect.org/program/bringing-in-the-bystander/.
Brandeis University. (2021). Drug Facilitated Sexual Assault | Prevention, Advocacy & Resource Center | Brandeis University, www.brandeis.edu/parc/dfsa.html.
Crystal, Jen. “Union and Parc Roll out Sipchip Drug Test Kits.” The Justice, www.thejustice.org/article/2020/03/union-and-parc-roll-out-sipchip-drug-test-kits.
University of New Mexico. “Drug Detecting Coasters Offered to Students at UNM.” UNM Newsroom, 23 Oct. 2019, news.unm.edu/news/drug-detecting-coasters-offered-to-students-at-unm.
Frazier, Patricia, et al. “Evaluation of a Coeducational Interactive Rape Prevention Program.” Journal of Counseling & Development, vol. 73, no. 2, Nov. 1994, pp. 153–158. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1002/j.1556-6676.1994.tb01728.x.
Lanier CA, Green BA. Principal component analysis of the College Date Rape Attitude Survey (CDRAS): an instrument for the evaluation of date rape prevention programs. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma [Internet]. 2006 Dec 15 [cited 2021 Nov 6];13(2):79–93. Available from: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rzh&AN=106013366&site=eds-live&scope=site
Towson University. (2021) “Sexual Assault Peer Education.” Towson University, www.towson.edu/healthcenter/health-education/peer-education/sexual-assault-education/.
Singh, Shweta, et al. “A Protection Motivation Theory Application to Date Rape Education.” Psychology, Health & Medicine, vol. 16, no. 6, Dec. 2011, pp. 727–735. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1080/13548506.2011.579983.
Winerman, Lea. “Making Campuses Safer.” Monitor on Psychology, American Psychological Association, Oct. 2018, www.apa.org/monitor/2018/10/campuses-safer.
“Annual Campus Security and Fire Safety Report.” Towson University Office of Public Safety, 2020.
“Campus Sexual Violence: Statistics.” Campus Sexual Violence Statistics, RAINN, https://www.rainn.org/statistics/campus-sexual-violence.
Carey, Kate B, et al. “Precollege Predictors of Incapacitated Rape Among Female Students in Their First Year of College.” Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, Rutgers University, Nov. 2015, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4712653/.
Hasan, Anwer, et al. “Report on Campus Climate and Sexual Violence at Maryland Colleges and Universities.” Maryland Higher Education Commission, Oct. 2018.
“Sexual Assault on College Campuses.” Sexual Assault on College Campuses | Office on Women’s Health, 13 Sept. 2018, https://www.womenshealth.gov/relationships-and-safety/sexual-assault-and-rape/college-sexual-assault.
“What Are Date Rape Drugs and How Do You Avoid Them?” NIDA Archives, National Institute on Drug Abuse, 16 Mar. 2015, https://archives.drugabuse.gov/blog/post/what-are-date-rape-drugs-and-how-do-you-avoid-them.
Becker, M. (2020). Date rape prevention tech works to help halt sexual assault. The Temple News. Retrieved from: https://temple-news.com/date-rape-prevention-tech-works-to-help-halt-sexual-assault/
Brandeis University. (2021). Drug Facilitated Sexual Assault. Retrieved from: https://www.brandeis.edu/parc/dfsa.html
Businesswire.com. (2018). Undercover Colors Debuts SipChipTM, the Most Comprehensive Date Rape Drug Detection Device Designed for Personal Use. Retrieved from: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181212005703/en/Undercover-Colors-Debuts-SipChip-the-Most-Comprehensive-Date-Rape-Drug-Detection-Device-Designed-for-Personal-Use
Carey, K.B., Durney, S.E., Shepardson, R.L., Carey, M.P. (2015). Precollege Predictors of Incapacitated Rape Among Female Students in Their First Year of College. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs; 76, 829-837.
Fox, A. (2021). 5 Gadgets that alert drinkers to date rape drugs. Retrieved from: https://www.gov1.com/preventing-sexual-assault-and-intimate-partner-violence/articles/5-gadgets-that-alert-drinkers-to-date-rape-drugs-n2AXeJb4rn45lMFG/
Krebs, C., Lindquist, C., Warner, T., Fisher, B., & Martin, S. (2007). The campus sexual assault (CSA) study. Final Report. Washington: National Institute of Justice. Retrieved from: https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/221153.pdf
Marek, K. (2021). Sexual Assault Prevention Orgs and Funders: A New Updated List. Philanthropy Women. Retrieved from: https://philanthropywomen.org/feminist-foundations/metoo-funding-sexual-assault-prevention/
Sampson, R. (2002). Acquaintance rape of college students. Washington, DC: US Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. Retrieved from: https://rems.ed.gov/docs/COPS_AcquaintanceRapeofCollegeStudents.pdf
Undercover Colors. (n.d.). SipChip. Retrieved from https://www.undercovercolors.com/pages/faqs.
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. (n.d.). Sexual assault on college campuses. Office on Women’s Health. Retrieved September 12, 2021, from https://www.womenshealth.gov/relationships-and-safety/sexual-assault-and-rape/college-sexual-assault.
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