Officers Jarbeck (top right) and Alishouse (lower left) work with Dr. Susan Richman (top left) and Irma Villanueva Cruz (lower right and inset) on their RAD defense techniques. Dorothy Morales (top center) and Mary Lou Martz (top rear) practice on their own and observe. D coursed e le s f powerful gesso 1 By Cathie McCormick Capital Times Assistant Layout Editor Dorothy stood with her eyes shut . . . waiting . . . frightened. She could hear the ianging all around her. As instructed, she did not open her eyes until they touched her. When the contact finally came, Dorothy found herself being lifted off the floor. "It was intense," she said. Then, Dorothy responded with an elbow to her attacker's lead. The man dropped her. "My body remembered—after practicing, you just go into the moves," Dorothy said. Dorothy Morales and four other PSH women recently completed a 12-hour Rape Aggression Defense course offered through PSH Police Services. The RAD course follows a curriculum founded in 1989 by Larry Nadeau, a police officer in Virginia. PSH Officers Jennifer Allshouse and Marty Jarbeck, earned their RAD nstructor certification after 30 hours of instruction. Allshouse feels the techniques it in the course are "easy to learn, easy to use and easy to retain." ,fter learning a technique like the hammer fist, the students practice over and over— Tie repetition of the motion to striking pads or instructors' padded arms. Morales repetition of the techniques helped her respond when the time came to defend herself in the simulation. The last three hours of the course includes simulated attacks. While the situa tion is simulated, the attackers take their job seriously. Morales said the elbow to the head she delivered was legit. She said her attacker did not put her down until she delivered it with inten tion. The attackers wear full-body protective suits to avoid injury. Morales, an undergraduate student in marketing, feels more prepared to travel after taking the course. She leaves May 15 to complete a study abroad course in Germany and hopes to spend some time visiting the rest of Europe. She said she now knows what works and what doesn't work. "I'm not as afraid," Morales said. Course graduate Karen Wasielewski echoed that sentiment in an e-mail to Allshouse after completing the training. "I now have the mental and physical tools to rely on," she wrote. "I would recommend that every female take this course," asielewski wrote. Martz said RAD gave her more than defense techniques. She feels the self-esteem and self confidence gained are a critical piece of the training's value. Martz said she used to believe she could protect herself if necessary. "Now I know I can!" she said. The course has run twice on campus and will be offered again both this summer and next fall. Women interested in taking the course should contact Officer Allshouse at jual@psu.edu, call (717) 948-6232 or stop by Police Services in Swatara room 47.
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