Rutgers Frat Shut After Drugging Sorority Sisters' Drinks: Report

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ — A Rutgers University fraternity has been shut down after its members are accused of putting a commonly-used date rape drug into the punch at a party in September, according to multiple reports. The Daily Targum, which submitted an Open Public Records Act request after Sigma Chi was suddenly shut down in November, was the first to report the story.

According to information in the report, during a mixer on Sept. 16, the brothers put Xanax in a communal container of punch, that also had alcohol. The brothers were the only ones who had access to the beverage, the report said.

Several women who drank the juice recalled it tasted "funny" and had a “chalky” texture. Over the course of a few hours, many of the people who drank it became ill, The Daily Targum report said.

“It was stated that SDT members, about 10 of them, were left vomiting, incoherent, and some even blacked out,” The Daily Targum reported, citing the the transcripts of official testimonies provided to the Office of Student Conduct. It also interfered with another woman's prescribed medication, the report said.

Xanax is a commonly-used date-rape drug, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. "Date rape drugs are powerful and dangerous. They can be slipped into your drink when you are not looking. The drugs often have no color, smell, or taste, so you can't tell if you are being drugged. The drugs can make you become weak and confused — or even pass out — so that you cannot consent to sex," according to the agency's website.

After the allegations came to light, the University and the national Sigma Chi organization terminated the New Brunswick chapter.

Rutgers University spokesman Neal Buccino declined to comment to The Daily Targum, citing student privacy laws.

However, a different spokesman, John Cramer, told the NY Daily News the suspension was not related to the allegations that frat members spiked the punch with Xanax. "The university's student conduct and police investigations found no evidence to support those allegations," he told that publication.

Click here to read the full report on The Daily Targum.

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