Katie Brown | Copy Editor
One of the cornerstones of APU’s Rape Aggression Defense class is to learn how to fight off an attack and avoid becoming a victim.
My other 20 or so female classmates and I spent two days last weekend learning how to lower our risk of rape and sexual assault, how to execute basic self-defense techniques and, finally, how to respond when attacked.
The last part of the class was a simulation exercise where we suited up and actually got to carry out all the moves we had learned. Two of the instructors got into layered protective suits, which allowed us to fight them at 100 percent force. We didn’t know what was going to happen going in, but that helped us understand how we would react in an actual sexual assault situation.
Throughout the whole exercise, all the classmates encouraged one another, and they cheered when we executed especially powerful attacks during the training. One of my classmates was a woman who worked on staff at IMT. She was especially inspiring because even though she was older than the rest of us and had children of her own, she put us to shame with how much force she had in her attacks. This in turn spurred us to work harder. She told us she wanted her own daughter to take the class one day as well.
By the end of the class, we felt powerful and more prepared to defend ourselves should the need arise. Many of us had people we wanted to bring back with us for another class. I highly recommend it!
For more information on the next R.A.D class, visit the Campus Safety Department’s website.