The TCU Police Department is offering a free RAD class for TCU women Oct. 11-12 from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.
RAD stands for Rape Aggression Defense. The classes teach women simple and realistic self defense techniques to use in dangerous situations.
TCU Police officer George Steen describes the class as being important for teaching female students not only how to remove themselves from dangerous situations, but also how to avoid them in the first place.
“The thing that we teach the most is that we want you to be aware of situations prior to getting involved in them,” Steen said. “And if you are forced into a conflict, to be able to administer as many of the techniques that we’re teaching you, and then get away.”
TCU Crime Prevention Officer Pamela Christian believes that these threat assessment skills are vital to keeping young women safe.
“Eliminate the opportunity and your assailant won’t have that opportunity,” Christian said. “That’s the easiest way to avoid situations like that.”
In light of how prevalent the topic of sexual assaults on college campuses has been in the media lately, Rylee Neri, junior nursing major, believes taking these classes can give female students valuable peace of mind.
“You hear a lot of scary stories, either on the Internet or from people you know who’ve been assaulted or know someone who has been,” Neri said. “I think if I took the class I’d feel better knowing I could get myself out of a bad situation.”
Participants must attend both the Saturday and Sunday class in order to be eligible. On Saturday, the class will take place in REC Center Room 42, and on Sunday it will be in the REC Center Multi Purpose Room 2.
“We’re not going to make you Lucy Liu or Steven Segal in these RAD classes,” Steen said. “But what we’re gonna do is give you tools to add to your belt, so that you can be aware if there’s a dangerous situation coming your way, and then how to get away from that situation as quickly as possible.”
Participants can register online or by calling Officer Christian at (817) 257-7276.