Seven students at Stanford allegedly drugged at party: reports

At least five Stanford sorority members and two men from the university rowing team suspect they were drugged, perhaps with Xanax or a type of date rape drug, at a party on Friday night, the Stanford Daily and the Fountain Hopper reported.

The Fountain Hopper, a student-run, anonymously written email-based newsletter at Stanford with 11,000 subscribers, broke the story and points to a possible suspect in the case: A Dartmouth rower. The incident reportedly took place during an "open house" at Sigma Chi on Friday. 

"Sigma Chi International Fraternity is aware of the allegations that illegal substances were brought into an event by a non-member and provided to attendees without their knowledge and we have begun our investigation into the matter," the fraternity said in a statement. "We are committed to working collaboratively with local authorities and Stanford University to see the perpetrator brought to justice." 

According to an email memo obtained by the newspaper from the Pi Beta Phi Sorority house staff to its women, one of the men was taken to the hospital on Friday night. Another male rower voluntarily went to the hospital and allegedly tested positive for benzodiazenine, or "benzos," which serve as tranquilizers.  “Roofies” (trade name Rohypnol) are a type of benzodiazepine commonly known as a date rape drug. Xanax is a benzodiazepine often used to treat disorders related to anxiety or panic.

The Stanford Daily reported that students waited until late Sunday afternoon to report the suspected drugging incident to Residential Education, who notified the Title IX office.

The Title IX office is now investigating the incident, and Student Affairs met with the Department of Public Safety in order to file a report on Tuesday because “it is suspected criminal activity,” according to university spokesperson Lisa Lapin. On Wednesday, she confirmed that two investigations were underway into the allegations.

The alleged perpetrator has been issued a notice of investigation, which prohibits him from contacting anyone from the party and bans him from all Stanford-owned property. 

Despite the Friday night incident, Sigma Chi hosted another party on Saturday night with a different sorority also on probation with their respective national organization, the Stanford Daily reported.