It was not your usual school assembly. Sexual harassment, date rape, predator drugs and eating disorders headlined last week's Campolindo High School Girls Symposium. Sponsored by the Moraga school's leadership students, the morning lectures provided a hard-hitting look at the issues facing young women today.

According to leadership teacher Dino Petrocco, this year's student's leaders were determined to he more than mere spirit raisers and poster painters. "One of the objectives is that we truly lead, be activists on campus and bring issues out to the forefront," he said.

They definitely struck a nerve. More than 300 Campolindo girls attended the lectures given prevention educators Taima Ford and Jessica Parent from Community Violence Solutions, and Watt Foundation founder Mike Watt.

"Your school has taken a big step in asking us to come here. A lot of schools are not ready to deal with this, not ready to deal with this, not ready even to think this is an issue," said Ford. She and Parent were on campus to discuss sexual assault from both the legal and medical aspects, interweaving anecdotes and hard facts in a lively, emphatically non-wimpy presentation.

Date rape, statutory rape, child molestation, sexual harassment - it was all there, along with predator drugs like Gamma Hydroxy Butyrate (GHB) and Rohypnol (Roofies). And the message was clear: be aware of the dangers, be pro-active in prevention, and if disaster strikes, take immediate action.

"Tell your parents. Your parents are going to have your back even when no one else does. You need to be on the same page," said Ford. "You may not be on the same sentence or even the same paragraph, but you better be on the same page."

Seeking immediate medical attention for sexual assault and/or suspected date rape drugs is critical. Medical professionals will assess the damage, prescribe the "morning-after pill" and antibiotics for sexually transmitted diseases, and even screen for date rape drugs like GHB.

Every teen in the packed room was keenly aware of the prevalence of teen sex, drinking and drug use. Ford made sure they understood the connection between the three - that drugs and alcohol take the issue of consent completely out of the equation.

"Don't have sex by default," she said, launching into a matter-of-fact discussion of statutory rape laws and date rape drugs.

Predator drugs like GHB and Roofies render victims completely helpless. Slipped into a drink, the odorless, colorless, nearly tasteless powder leaves victims in a walking blackout state. They awaken the next day with no recollection of events. A college friend of Parent's was given a Roofies-laced drink. She awoke the next morning naked, bloody and beaten.

Made from the active ingredients in Drano and paint thinner, GHB's health dangers for beyond rape. Don not leave drinks unattended and don't drink from a punch bowl at a house party, said Ford. If you suspect you have been given one of these drugs, seek immediate medical attention. If you suspect a friend has been given such a drug, do not leave her in some back room to sleep it off. Take her directly to the hospital.