n a world of violence and hostility, especially toward women, self-defense has become important to learn in order to be safe. On Tuesday, April 1, Elizabethtown College’s Wellness Center hosted “That’s Totally RAD,” an event through their “Take Care Tuesday” series. Assistant Director of Campus Security Dale Boyer and his daughter, junior Elizabeth Boyer, presented information on self-defense and useful techniques for warding off attackers on Tuesday evening.
The Rape Aggression Defense (RAD) program on campus, run by Boyer, is primarily geared toward women. Boyer has been running the program for years, and he has recently teamed with his daughter to offer the free course to students on campus. Currently, the program focuses on women, but the campus is pushing to implement a self-defense class for men as well. The class is available for those on campus interested in learning more about self-defense. The class is meant to not only provide women with skills to potentially save their lives, but also to provide a sense of empowerment and confidence in knowing how to properly defend themselves.
The session opened with an informative video from the National Self Defense Institute (NSDI) that is used to give a basic introduction to self-defense and RAD, Boyer said. In the video, the key to self-defense is a balance between mental and physical preparedness and is described as “a contemporary answer to today’s hostile world.” A few goals of self-defense are to be able to fight, escape and survive attacks. In order to be able to accomplish these goals, women need to feel empowered to take action and turn their fear into power.
In addition to the physical aspect of self-defense, mental preparation can greatly assist in dealing with an attacker. By being aware of surroundings, reducing risk and planning ahead can prevent an attack or possibly provide the needed clarity before an attack. By thinking clearly and having a plan of action after assessing the situation, the victim can get the upper hand on their attacker. In these situations, escape and survival are key aspects. By being prepared and knowing what to expect, the victim becomes a survivor instead of a statistic.
Women can prevent an attack by following a few simple steps. The first step is to avoid looking like a target. By putting off positive energy, looking attentive and displaying good posture, women can potentially dissuade the attacker from making a move. Another step is to be aware of your surroundings. By acknowledging that there could be danger lurking around the corner in certain areas, women are more prepared to make a move on their potential attacker, and “it may save [their] life.” Another step is to avoid risky situations that may lead to a potential attack, such as walking a fair distance alone to the car in the dark. By taking extra precautions and avoiding the situation entirely, women can avoid attacks. As it was said in the video, “trust your instincts” as “it’s better to be safe than sorry.”
Rape is four times more likely to occur in college among females, making this training vital. Through the RAD program, women gain knowledge on how to escape an assailant. According to the video, the most common phrase among rape victims is, “I never thought it could happen to me.” This mentality prevents more women from learning valuable skills that could potentially save their lives one day. In the video, the two takeaway messages were “don’t wait until the 11th hour to learn self-defense” and “don’t waste another day to become a potential victim.”
Although the mental aspects of self-defense are important, the physical elements are just as vital. After the video, the Boyers displayed some useful techniques for implementing physical self-defense. They addressed weak spots on the body to the audience, such as areas on the face, fingers, groin, forearms, shins and feet. Using each other as models, the Boyers showed the audience what these moves looked like and how they could be used if an attacker was holding the victim in a certain way.
In the RAD class offered on campus, the classes are split into three four-hour sessions over a weekend, teaching the fundamentals of mental and physical preparedness. Health Educator at the Student Wellness Center Amanda Cheetham strongly advocated for the presentation and classes to be offered at Etown. “I took RAD when I was an undergrad in college right before I went to study abroad,” Cheetham said. “I think it is empowering to women to have some basic self-defense. I was glad to hear that Etown offered this class, so I wanted to offer an opportunity to raise awareness that this is free on campus.” Student Wellness Advocacy Group (SWAG) member Daria Rose added her thoughts on the program. “I know some people who don’t know if self-defense is for them, and I think the first part of the program, mental preparedness, would be good for any woman on campus to learn because that gives them options other than having to fight an attacker. Knowing those small things help those women feel safer and empowered while walking around campus.”
