Self-defense program offers women valuable skills
By Kelly Nagurny
Assistant Editor
kxnl63@psu.edu
One in four women in college
will be the victim of attempted
rape during her college career. A
woman is battered every 18 sec
onds in the United States.
These statistics alone are rea
son enough for women to seek
out and learn effective tools to
protect themselves. One of the
best ways for them to acquire
these tools is by taking self
defense classes, which are avail
able on the Penn State
Harrisburg campus.
Officer Jennifer Allshouse, com
munity education coordinator for
PSH's Safety and Police
Services, instructs both S.A.F.E.
(Self-Defense Awareness
Familiarization Exchange) and
R.A.D. (Rape Aggression
Defense) programs on campus.
S.A.F.E. is a two-hour introduc
tion to self-defense that provides
women with basic tools, con
cepts and techniques to protect
Officer Jennifer Allshouse
demonstrates a self-defense
technique.
Hurst's message makes its rounds
BOOBIES continued from 1
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Hurst's father works up to ten
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said Hurst. Her father often
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shirts. Hurst said his messages
make Feel Your Boobies more
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sage.
A goal for Feel Your Boobies is
to become an organization that
raises money for breast cancer,
not just a team that raises
(left to right) Leig Hurst and friends Garbo, Liz and Jill at the AVON walk in New York City this
October.
themselves in the event of an
attack.
The objectives of the training
are to provide participants with
information that may reduce their
risk of exposure to violence and
to familiarize them with basic
skills to help them avoid and
escape attack.
According to the National Self-
Defense Institute. (NSDI), 90 per
cent of self-defense is mental,
while only 10 percent is physical.
The S.A.F.E. program provides
participants with both aspects of
self-defense training.
Although it is only 10 percent of
self-defense, physical prepared
ness is important nonetheless.
"We all carry weapons, and we
all have access to them at all
times," said Allshouse. During
the S.A.F.E. training, Allshouse
teaches women how to use
these "weapons," which are dif
ferent parts of the body, to pro
tect themselves in five different
ways. Participants should be
prepared to use the power of
their voices, which are also used
as a tool for protection.
The program also teaches
strategies that may prevent an
attack from occurring. For
instance, there are techniques
women can employ to deter a
potential attacker. According to
materials published by NSDA,
creator of the S.A.F.E. program,
these techniques include looking
alert, making eye contact and
using assertive body language.
Although the S.A.F.E. program
provides a great introduction to
self-defense, said Allshouse, it is
recommended that women pro
ceed to a more intensive training,
such as R.A.D. (Rape
Aggression Defense). Allshouse
also instructs R.A.D. trainings on
Leigh celebrates the end of her treatments (Oct 7) with all of her
friends who now feel their boobies!
money for other organizations. "I shirts, holding events, and col
would like to be able to pay lecting donations is given to the
myself so I can just work for the Susan G. Koman foundation for
organization," said Hurst. breast cancer research.
All proceeds from selling the T-
campus.
R.A.D. is a 12-hour intensive
program that takes place over
three days. It involves in-depth
training using full pads and
heavy contact. "The R.A.D. sys
tem gives women the knowledge
to make an educated decision
about resistance, and makes
self-defense an effective option
by teaching women to take an
active role in their own self
defense and well-being." said a
pamphlet provided by Safety and
Police Services.
Jennifer Galli, a psychology
major at PSH, has taken the
S.A.F.E. course twice. "I liked it
the first time, so I decided to take
the class again. I'm living off
campus on my own, so I wanted
to take an extra precaution," she
said.
Programs like S.A.F.E. and
R.A.D. are offered all over the
country to teach women self
defense techniques. However, is
all this training really necessary?
Absolutely.
A woman is raped every two
minutes in the United States,
said Allshouse. According to the
Pennsylvania Coalition Against
Rape (PCAR), one in four adult
females will be sexually assault
ed, and women between 16 and
24 are the most likely victims.
According to PCAR, only 31
percent of all rapes and sexual
victimizations between 1992 and
2000 were reported to police.
Whether or not a rape or sexual
assault victim chooses to report
their attack, there are helpful
resources available. If you need
help or are interested in more
information, you can contact
PCAR at (800) 772-PCAR. In
Dauphin County, the YWCA's
Photo courtesy of Feel Your Boobies
News
Graduate psychology major Michelle Graff practices a self-defense move as Officer Allshouse holds a pad.
The technique is one of five moves participants learn in the S.A.F.E. training.
Rape and Crisis Services can be
reached at (800) 654-1211. On
campus, Safety and Police
Services are available at (717)
948-6232.
Other useful resources include
the Pennsylvania Coalition
Against Rape's Web site,
www.pcar.org. Also visit the
National Self-Defense Institute at
www.nsdi.org. Educating your
self could mean the difference
between survival and death.
"You are your best defense," said
the NSDI.
Although I am breaking journal
istic law, I would like to take a
moment to step out from behind
my third person veil to speak
directly from writer to reader
(specifically female readers).
Programs like S.A.F.E. and
R.A.D. are extremely important
for women to attend. Many of us
might think "it can't happen to
me," but the truth is that it
absolutely can happen to any
one. In a 2-hour S.A.F.E. ses
sion, I learned skills that could
save my life. It is so important
that you take the time to learn the
same skills that could potentially
save yours.
To learn more about the
S.A.F.E. and R.A.D. programs or
to register, contact Officer
Jennifer Allshouse at
jaul @psu.edu.
The Capital Times
Photos by Kelly Nagurny
Campus Rape Statistics
-Acquaintance rape is more com
mon than left-handedness, heart
attacks or alcoholism
-One in four college women are
the victims of attempted rape
-80% of rapes by college students
involve a victim the offender
knows
-Acquaintance rape on college
campuses involves a male under
the influence of drugs or alcohol
75% of the time: over 50% of
women victims reported being
intoxicated or "mildly buzzed"
*Source: Pennsylvania Coalition Against
Rape