“NO! GET BACK!” This is the mantra a group of women, one of them being myself, chant over and over while we practice our self-defense moves in Campus Police’s Rape Aggression Defense Class (also known as R.A.D.).
R.A.D. is a nine to twelve hour course where participants learn self-defense moves that could potentially save their lives one day from a potential attacker.
The mission statement for R.A.D. is “…to establish an accessible, constantly improving and internationally respected alliance of dedicated Instructors. These Instructors in turn, will provide educational opportunities for women, children, men, and seniors to create a safer future for themselves. In doing this, we challenge society to evolve into an existence where violence is not an acceptable part of daily life.”
R.A.D. has over 11,000 instructors and has trained more than 900,000 women to date.
The main instructor for R.A.D. at USFSP is Walter Ewing, who is also the Defensive Tactics Instructor for Campus Police. Ewing has worked on campus since 1996.
Ewing believes this is a class every woman should take. “Unfortunately most attackers are men and most victims women in sexual and physical crimes…R.A.D. is a confidence builder. It gives women options other than just to submit,” said Ewing.
And indeed it does. I feel so much more confident because I feel prepared. I am so proud of myself for prioritizing my safety and taking this class.
There’s no reason why USFSP students shouldn’t take this class- it’s free and it can help potentially save your life one day.
HCXOXO,
Kelli Carmack
To learn more informtion about R.A.D., go to: http://www.rad-systems.com/