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Show Women get a two-fold lesson in self-defense BY MANETTE NEVVBOLD Senior Writer Every seven minutes, one rape occurs in the United States, and according to the FBI, one in every three girls will be sexually assaulted during her lifetime. Sgt. Joe Huish of the USU police department says many women don't know how to protect themselves against an attack, which is why he and Officer Jessica Spencer are teaching female students self-defense courses to give them a better idea of what to do when facing danger. Rape Aggression Defense Systems (RAD) is a national program available to women, Huish said, and teaches them basic martial arts moves they can use in real life. "The purpose of the course is to give you more options," he said to his class Monday morning. "A person who has no plan and no training has very few options." Students meets twice a week, one day in the classroom where discussion about rape and self defense takes place, and the other day is spent in the gym learning techniques to fight off perpetrators. Tm taking this class, so if someone were to come up to me, I'd be ready for it," Angie Miles, a junior in speech pathology, said. "I thought it would be kind of important to learn because it's scary walking alone at night and I want to take care of myself." Miles said the semester course will cover situations such as being attacked from behind, at an ATM or on a date. For the class final, students can practice new defense moves on police officers dressed in aggressor suits who simulate attacks. "It's cool because [Huish] is a police officer and he knows what he's talking about," Miles said. "It's been worth it and it will end up being helpful." The lessons in class and in the gym are kept somewhat secretive. The books have to be purchased in class and students are told not to tell a lot of males what they are learning, Miles said. If they did, the course wouldn't be as beneficial because everyone would know how females are RUBY TUESDAY A N T Come to Ruby Tuesday on $6.00 Wednesdays And try our Hump Day Special! Tyler Larson/tmlarson@(c.usu.edu OFFICER JOE HUISH AND OFFICER JESSICA SPENCER teach a female self-defense class on campus in conjunction with the national RAD program to promote Rape Aggression Defense. taught to defend themselves. Undeclared freshman Jade Argyle said she thinks every woman should take the class to be shown defensive stances and avoidance strategies. "I heard about the class through Connections and thought it would be good to know how to defend myself while I am living by myself," she said. During the next four months, Miles said students will learn to avoid stalkers, forcible sodomy, rape and sexual assault. They will discuss date rape, self-defense the law and common myths and misconceptions. "Some people think that women are physically powerless against men," Spencer told the class. "Some people think that only young, attractive women are raped. Some say women secretly want to be raped. Everybody here doesn't believe that." The RAD program teaches women of all ages simple self-defense moves that they can perform when they are in stressful situations. Spencer and Huish encourage women to scream and resist because often times, doing those things will be enough to make a perpetrator run. "When we talk to girls who have been raped, they often say, 'I was afraid. I didn't want to get hurt,'" Huish said. "But if you don't resist, you're more likely to be raped than if you do." Both Huish and Spencer said women should try to not be so afraid of being injured if it means they aren't sexually assaulted or raped. "If a woman gets hurt a little bit trying to defend herself, but isn't raped, I would opt for that," he said. "We forget about pain. Rape isn't like that." For women who have not taken a self-defense course, Huish suggests they gain more knowledge on staying safe and become familiar with the options they have if attacked. For more information about RAD, visit www. rad-systems.com or e-mail Huish at Joe.Huish@usu. edu. -77inewbold@cc.usu.edu Special includes your choice of a burger, quesadilla, or mini burgers with fries and a Specialty drink! Every Wednesday 6-11pm iobileaccess*surcliarqefreeATMs*freechecks#onlineaccountaccess«billpnyer»visocnrd«investmenls«teimde[ for student loans and more, it's... mChoice matching students and financial needs • STEPS Introducing the mChoice account from Mountain America Credit Union. From page 5 Larson and his book, "Should We Stay Together?" or utahmarriage.org for advice on how to help a relationship. Students can also go to the USU Counseling Center, located on the third floor of the Taggert Student Center, and severe cases are referred to Allgood or someone else at the Family Life Center at a reduced fee. Students gave their own opinions on how to get over a breakup. Steve Nielson, a junior and business information systems, said, "Guys have to fix stuff." The process is quite different for girls, however. When a girl gets dumped, he said, she talks to her roommates until she's figured out exactly where the relationship went wrong. Agreeing, Alisa Webb, a junior in graphic design, said, "As soon as I get home from a breakup, I tell my roommates. If they aren't there, I call my friend." It just goes to show how different guys and girls are. "From any guy's perspective," Nielson said, "she dumps you, you're hurt for five seconds, you go home and eat some cereal and you're good." When a person breaks up with someone, there's a good way and a bad way. The best way to do it is be honest, Nielson said. "Just say, 'Hey, let's not date/" , To clarify what a bad In just one stop, get your student loan and all the other financial services breakup is, Allgood said he had read in the news that Kid Rock recently broke up with a girl using a text message. "What's up with that?" he said. "That's just wrong." But famous rockers aren't the only ones that are clueless about breaking up with a person. "I was with this dude for a month or so," Webb said, "and he found out that I didn't want to kiss him yet. The next week, my friend told me he was make-out buddies with another girl." When that kind of thing happens, she said, redemption is not an option. "He turned out to be a jerk, so I cut him off from my coveted friendship list." It's very difficult for anyone to make a friend out of a crappy relationship. Honesty is not only part of a relationship, Nielson said, it's part of a friendship. "When a person's not honest," Nielson said, "that's what destroys friendship." If someone is confused about their emotions, it's difficult to have a smooth breakup. Most of the time, Allgood said, people know when they're in a bad relationship. "If it's not right, don't put yourself in an awkward situation," he said. Many people are guilty of mixed emotions. Nielson compared it to being in a bathtub. "You jump in and it's nice and warm. You love it," he said. "Then after a while, it starts getting cool so you hop out. The air hits you and you're like, Ah! It's too cold out here!'You jump back in because you think it's warmer, but in reality it's the same temperature." In that situation, he said, the best thing to do is move on with your life. If a guy's moping around, he's not being a man, Nielson said. "I've done it, but then a light switch goes on and I realize it's not getting me anywhere," he said. "It just boils down to pulling up your bootstraps and getting over it." Even girls will agree on this one. "There comes a point in time," Webb said, "when you say to yourself, 'This is lame!' You put down the ice cream scooper, dust off your hairbrush and have a night on the town with your girlies." In the words of Neil Sedaka, "Breaking up is hard to do." Indeed it is, but there are plenty offish in the sea. It might take a long time, but no one is lost in the depths of despair forever. Mark Christensen, a sophomore in business information systems, said, "It's all about acceptance. Just remember what was good about the relationship. Take it for what it was, and just keep on going." ~marylour@cc.tisu.edu you want. Plus, with a bunch of free extras, it's really the way to go! student loans, free checking, auto loans, home mortgages, family finances, freebies. do it today. 1-800-748-4302 www.macu.com |