T-Sgt. Nate Leonard, Columnist
Last week I tried to give you an idea of the make up of the University Police Department here on campus. This week, I would like to give you information about one of the programs our department offers to the campus community, as well as the community off campus. This program is called RAD: Rape Aggression Defense. The program is offered to women only, and there are currently six members of the University Police Department who are certified instructors to bring you this program. These individuals have attended a three-day certification course to become qualified instructors and are required to instruct the course two times a year to maintain their certification.
The RAD program teaches women to be aware of their surroundings and how to decrease their chances of becoming a victim. The first part of the course consists of discussing how we can take steps to make us safer at school, home, work, out and about, etc. The rest of the course focuses on teaching physical techniques, which can be used to defend oneself against an attacker. These techniques were developed to be used by any female with minimal training. You will be taught what parts of your body are weapons that can be used to defend yourself, as well as what areas on the human body are vulnerable target areas you can use against an attacker. These techniques are taught and demonstrated and you will get the chance to practice these techniques by performing the motions step by step.
When the class is comfortable with that step, you will have the opportunity to then perform many of these techniques while an instructor is holding a padded striking target. (This is a great stress reliever!) You will have the opportunity to practice your newly learned techniques through a great deal of repetition, so you become fluent in using them.
The final day of the class is usually the most popular. This is when the instructors get dressed up in a padded suit and puts you in situations where you may be required to defend yourselves. The student gets to put their newly learned techniques to the test. Many students are amazed at what they are capable of when they are put in these scenarios and gain a great deal of confidence in themselves.
The RAD class is taught for three hours on three seperate dates. The University Police Department is currently conducting a class at Hartwick College. We have recently held a class for the entire Hartwick Women’s Basketball teams as well, and received great reviews from the participants. We would love to offer this class here at Oneonta State. If you are interested in attending this class send me an email and I will get you in touch with the RAD coordinator in our department, Lt. Drumm. This class is not just for students either. We would love to see faculty, staff and any of your friends take part in this class well. Hope to see you in class!
-Tech Sergeant, Nate Leonard,
[email protected]
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