Story and Photo by Alexis Marshall / Contributing Writer
In an effort to promote safety on campus, the MTSU Police Department has begun hosting the spring 2017 Rape Aggression Defense classes. The self-defense classes are open only to women and are taught in various locations on campus according to their website.
The purpose of the classes is to “give [women] an awareness of their surroundings and how to better protect themselves,” said Sgt. Jason Hurley of the MTSU Police Department.
Officer Adam Wortman added, “It’s also to break the stereotype that women can’t protect themselves… and the stereotype that males are superior to females.”
The RAD system began in 1989 with the intention of offering a hands-on technique to teach women how to protect themselves from assault. MTSU previously offered undergraduate credit for the classes, but after the university’s only instructor sustained injuries teaching the class, Wortman and Officer Kyle Thompson revived the program in 2012.
RAD prides itself on offering realistic self-defense tactics, risk reduction and risk avoidance. A unique asset the program offers in their self-defense tactics is that they are specifically tailored to gender physiology and mindset. Many women, and men, carry self defense products on their person often when they know they will be in a situation where they are on their own or passing through a dangerous neighborhood, but many like to keep them close by at all times as you never know when you may become the victim of an assault or a mugging.
Hurley and Wortman both acknowledged the difficulty in preparing for these classes. However, they stated that seeing the growth in their students firsthand was well worth it.
“The reward is just seeing people leaving here knowing they know more than when they came in, and they have tools in their toolbox,” Wortman said.
Hurley said his favorite part was “seeing people have more confidence in themselves.”
The classes are now offered in the evenings for no charge and are open to the community. For confidentiality reasons, the program does not publicly post the location of its classes. However, if you are interested in attending the classes, you can register online to receive the location information.
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