Date rape drugs were slipped into the drinks of at least three women at Grog House, wrote the president of a UF club that networks international and domestic students.
NaviGators International President Heather Lear sent an e-mail to club members Wednesday, warning them to watch for date rape drugs at local bars.
"Several of our international girls have had their drinks drugged at Grog on more than one occasion, and I wanted to make everyone aware of this trend," Lear wrote.
The first incident was in January, followed by another on Feb. 4, said Jessica Bode, NaviGators vice president.
In the February incident, two women in NaviGators shared a vodka-mixed drink and then showed signs of date rape drugging, Bode said while waiting for friends to show up at Grog Wednesday night.
One of the women woke up at Shands and could not remember how she got there, Bode said.
Nick Roller, a Grog security guard, said that drugging is uncommon in Gainesville bars. He hears of a case about every six months, he said.
Assumptions about what happened on those nights should be made carefully, because the symptoms of date rape drugs are similar to those of heavy drinking, Roller said.
Also, because the drug blocks memory, the women may have received the drug elsewhere and can only remember as far back as Grog, he said.
Members of NaviGators continue to attend Grog on Wednesdays, Roller said.
UF's International Center, which co-sponsors the organization, learned of the incidents through Wednesday's e-mail and is still investigating, said Lynn Frazier, interim dean of the center.
UF Student Affairs plans to notify the Gainesville Police Department Monday.
"If this is true, it's really scary," Frazier said.
