Content Note: This article contains discussion of spiking and sexual harassment

Two students have reported being spiked by injection at a Hughes Hall bop on Friday night, according to an email sent today (27/11) to students at the College.

Student witnesses have also reported seeing a male student sexually harassing a young girl, who attended the event as the guest of a Hughes student.

No bag searches were carried out upon arrival at the event, which was open to both Hughes Hall students and guests.

The College stated in the email the students involved are being “supported both medically and pastorally and are recovering well.”

The email goes on to warn students to be “very cautious” during celebrations “over the next few days and nights.”

It also encourages students who attended the bop to check themselves for marks on their arms and legs, which may indicate spiking by injection.

Witnesses at the bop said that only one porter came to help when the College was informed of the situation.

Several students asked the porter to remove the male student who they believed to be sexually harassing female attendees, but the student did not leave the event at this time. It is unknown whether the student was removed later on.

An anonymous Hughes Hall student who attended the bop told Varsity that they are “disgusted with [their] college and this incident and saddened and angered by the lack of safety provisions provided by college.”

Hughes Hall said in the same email that they would conduct a full review of the event, and will be putting additional security measures in place. It has urged any students with information about the night to contact the College directly.

A petition has been started by undergraduate student Lotte Brundle since the incident, entitled ‘Protect women and non-binary students at Hughes Hall’. “I am afraid and feel unsafe in my own college”, the petition reads, “Cambridge is an institution that is extremely wealthy and needs to invest money into each college at this university specifically for the safeguarding of students that identify as female and non binary.”

The petition calls on the University to introduce University-wide staff training about sexual assault, harassment and spiking and bag checks at all university events. It also urges colleges to have staff supervising their bars at all events, and immediately expel students from the University found to have spiked or sexually harassed another student.

Reports of spiking, in particular by injection, have increased in recent months, with many students taking part in a nightclub boycott last month to put pressure on clubs to increase safety measures.

A Cambridgeshire Constabulary spokesperson told the BBC:  “We were contacted on Saturday with reports of a suspected incident of spiking in Wollaston Road, Cambridge, the previous evening.

“The victim, a woman in her 20s, reported she had been injected with an unknown substance at a party.”

The College also gave a statement: “The welfare and safety of our community is our top priority and the college treats incidents of this kind extremely seriously.

“We have written to our student body to inform them of these shocking incidents and are undertaking a full investigation, including consideration of any additional steps needed to keep our community safe.”