The two recent assaults on women at Ivy Gardens and Georgetown Greens are reminders that even in a "college town" such as Charlottesville, attacks can and do happen. With 54 percent of the student body comprised of women, self-defense techniques are a necessity, not just an option -- especially when these women walk home late at night from the library or stay home alone writing a paper on the weekend.
Enter the University Police Department and their radical idea: Rape Agression Defense Systems.
RAD, as the police department refers to it, is a basic self-defense course for women that consists of 12 hours of instruction.
The course, which University Police Sgt. Melissa Fielding teaches each Tuesday night from 7 to 10 p.m. in Webb lounge, includes a few hours of lecture on risk reduction, as well as awareness and avoidance techniques.
"We help our students understand what they can do to make themselves safe when they're out and about," Fielding said. "We also focus on how to make their home or apartment safe, their vehicle safe and what they can do if they become stranded on the road."
Once the lecture is complete, the punches start flying. The majority of the class focuses on physical self-defense techniques, adopting a defensive mind-set and defensive posture.
"The class teaches women how to punch, how to kick, what are the vulnerable locations on an assailant's body andwhat action they can take if they're grabbed," Fielding said. "The ultimate objective is to develop and enhance the options of self-defense for the woman who is attacked."
In the last session, all willing students are invited to go through a simulated attack with a certified instructor. The student dresses up in protective gear, and one of the instructors will commence to attack them.
Fielding said she sees a definite transformation take place in her students as the course progresses.
"Many females who come in are hesitant, and not real confident in their ability to defend themselves," she said. "But by end of the course, they leave looking empowered and self-confident. Many students comment that they feel more confident that they could defend themselves in an attack."
Because the RAD program is offered all across the country, students can stay current on their self-defense tactics once they leave Charlottesville.
"RAD has a lifetime return & practice policy," Fielding said. "That means you can refresh your skills after graduation."
But the program can't do everything -- a large part of its success is the student's individual effort.
"We tell students that we are putting tools in their toolbox," Fielding explained. "We can't tell them what techniques will work in every situation. They have to pick which ones they're comfortable with."
Please see box below for Sgt. Fielding's safety tips.
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