The Students’ Union takes a zero-tolerance approach to the spiking of drinks and will work closely with the University and Police to push for prosecution with the full force of the law at every available opportunity.
To read about our initiatives and the additional measures that are being scaled up behind the scenes, visit our Spiked campaign page.
If you think you or a friend has been spiked, dispose of the drink in question immediately. Inform a member of the bar or security team who will be able to assist you. Find somewhere safe, away from large groups of people but with a friend and potentially with support from our staff team.
If it is your friend that has been spiked, make sure you don’t leave them alone. Contact the GP Surgery (if the incident occurs during their opening hours) or NHS Advice (111) immediately. Alternatively, the nearest A&E department is St Peter’s Hospital in Chertsey - attend here straight away if you feel sleepy, vomit or have hallucinations.
If you’re capable, arrange transport and travel home but only go home with someone you totally trust. If you are with people you do not know, contact a trusted friend or relative to come and take you home and look after you. If you or your friend is comfortable doing so, inform the police about the incident - they may ask for a sample of your blood or urine to test, to find out if drugs have been used. It is important you are tested as soon as possible if you think your drink was spiked as most drugs leave your body within 12 & 72 hours.
If you suspect you have been spiked in one of our venues, please contact venues@su.rhul.ac.uk with the details of the incident so that we can investigate what has happened and a member of our team will get in touch.
As a Students’ Union, we believe that we have the duty to challenge harassment and violence at any instance and encourage all students to report it. When we are silent about these issues, we become complicit in them.
When we talk about sexual harassment, it often is given a very narrow definition of what it might involve. Sexual harassment is not just about physical touching or groping, it can be applied to any unwanted and persistent behaviour of a sexual nature.
If you experience any form of sexual harassment at any of our events, you can report the incident to any member of security, bar staff or supervisor/duty manager and the situation will be investigated immediately and appropriate action taken. The staff will also advise you if you want to follow up on the complaint.
If you feel able to talk to someone about it and you’d like to, you can book an appointment with one of our advisors by visiting the Union Helpdesk - our advisors offer free and impartial advice and are happy to chat with you about any problems you are having. Alternatively, the University provides free counselling services to support you if you need a chat or you need professional and impartial advice. You can contact them by emailing counselling@royalholloway.ac.uk.
You can contact the University’s Student Wellbeing team, who can offer you support and guidance.
Our Advice Centre advisors are happy to guide and support you, as well as accompany you to any meetings. Just drop an email to advice@su.rhul.ac.uk