Seven more women from the UH community are ready to defend themselves in the face of danger since UHPD completed another installment of its Rape Aggression Defense class Friday.
"We’ve had a total of about 107 students since starting the program," Lt. Derrick McClinton said. "Today is the simulation where we get suited up."
McClinton has been running the RAD program since it started in 2004, with four other instructors who teach students how to employ both verbal and physical means to evade attackers.
The class totals 12 hours and is divided into four three-hour sessions. The group for this session meets on Fridays, but scheduling is flexible for different groups, McClinton said.
For the final session, students apply what they learn in class during a simulated attack.
McClinton and Cpl. Jeremy Johnston create real-life scenarios where each woman must successfully escape and make her way to a designated "safe zone."
"This is not ‘stay and fight,’ this is ‘run away,’" Johnston said. "I am bigger than you, and I will get you."
Students are taught to yell "No" and "Get away" in order to draw attention to themselves. This is supposed to alert others around that something is wrong and someone is in distress, the instructors said.
Bauer College of Business Program Manager Alba Villegas said she found out about the classes through an e-mail sent to her by her boss.
"I’m usually alone, and I’ve always been kind of afraid of what could happen," Villegas said. "(The class) is amazing, and the instructors are great. (UHPD) should encourage more women to take the class."
Students are given a chance to review their performances after they finish the final simulation. Any student who feels unhappy with her performance may take the course again.
The next installment of the RAD program will be held in April. It is free to all women in the UH community. For more information about the course and to sign up, contact McClinton at [email protected].
