By Kelsey Reichmann
Managing Editor
In the era of #metoo, women at California State University, Dominguez Hills are preparing to say #notme. CSUDH University Police is hosting a Rape Aggression Defense System seminar on Oct. 4, 11 and 18. This nine-hour women’s self-defense course will help educate women on campus on how to prevent and defend themselves from sexual assault.
R.A.D. is a national organization hosted by CSUDH and many other CSUs. This seminar is a combination of lecture and physical self-defense training split between three days. As for CSUDH, police officers from university police, Cpl. Ian Gould and Ofcr. Precious Ares took courses to learn the curriculum and now teach it.
“I think it’s amazing,” Ares said. “Being a female myself and going through the police academy, I’ve done different types of martial arts. So, being able to find this course, I think it is really great for the average young lady.”
The first day of training is a lecture. In this portion, women will get information on how to stay safe both on and off-campus. In Ares’ opinion, this is the most important part of the course.
“[It’s] not about the moves and techniques, it’s about the preventative measures,” Ares said.
The last two days of the program will consist of physical training. Women are instructed on techniques based on martial arts to defend themselves from attackers. The physical part of the training is designed for all levels of physical fitness and can even be modified for injuries. All participation is volunteer-based, so women can just observe the training if they want.
According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, one in three women will experience some sexual violence in their lifetime. The idea behind this program is to be more proactive than reactive.
This is the third year CSUDH has hosted R.A.D. The Women’s Resource Center on campus originally advocated for it.
All three days of the R.A.D. seminar are free. The first day of the program can take up to 30 participants and the last two days only take as many as 20. This gives all participants an opportunity to get the attention they need during the course. To register, email Cpl. Gould at [email protected] or Ofcr. Ares at [email protected]
