 "Photo: Ron Harper -- Special to The South End")
In an effort to protect themselves from sexual aggression both on and off campus, Wayne State women will get serious about self-defense Nov. 10 - 13 at Rape Aggression Defense classes offered by the WSU Police Department.
According to a 2006 study by the American Association of University Women, one in four college females will encounter some type of sexual harassment or abuse during their time at school. This means that of the 19,405 female students enrolled at WSU, an estimated 4,851 will experience sexual harassment before they graduate.
RAD, a nationally organized program of female self-defense that has existed since 1989, teaches basic defense techniques, rape awareness and prevention techniques. Instructors of the course must be nationally certified, and graduates of the class have a lifetime return policy, which allows them to take a refresher course anywhere in the country for free.
Nine certified officers teach several RAD classes at WSU throughout the year. Only 16 women can attend per class to keep a high ratio of instructors to students. Over 500 women have taken the course since it was first offered on campus, according to Lt. David Scott of the WSUPD’s crime prevention department.
The RAD classes Scott teaches span four consecutive nights, with two-and-a-half nights of actual training and a simulation night where participants face three replicated attacks from officers wearing special padded suits. The cost to attend the 13-hour course is $25, but unlike previous years, students who graduate from the course will get a refund.
However, Scott said that the RAD classes were not always as organized as they are now.
Before the WSUPD moved to their new building at 6050 Cass Ave., it was hard for the officers to find a space to conduct the classes.
“We specifically asked for a multi-purpose room so we could have a space for things like RAD,” Scott said. “There are also drinking fountains, showers and a locker room for the women to use — we are now totally self-sufficient.”
Getting the word out about classes has also been difficult at times. The first class scheduled for this semester — Sept. 29 through Oct. 2 — was canceled because only three people signed up, but Scott said this was probably because notification was sent out only a week before the class.
The session between Nov. 10-13 is the first offered for this semester, but the goal for future RAD classes, Scott said, is to have one class per month — as long as there is enough interest.
Other schools’ programs
One school that has never had any problems getting students to sign up for RAD is Northern Michigan, where it is offered for university credit. Sgt. Don Peterman, in charge of RAD at NMU since 2001, estimates at least 1,200 students have gone through the program on campus.
“The class is the most popular of all physical activity courses offered at the school,” Peterman said. “The typical waiting time to get into a RAD class is three to four years.”
Since RAD is a credited class, unlike Wayne State’s, NMU is unable to offer instruction to non-affiliates.
RAD at WSU more closely resembles Oakland University’s program, where Sgt. Terry Ross of the OUPD will teach any interested female.
“If one person shows up, I’ll teach them,” he said. “[Our RAD program] is open to non-affiliates, but we never displace an Oakland University student — honestly, though, I’ve never turned anyone away.”
RAD at OU is free to students, but costs $35 for non-affiliates and is not offered as a credited course.
Grand Valley State University combines the approaches of NMU and OU, bringing RAD to students, affiliates and non-affiliate community members.
The credited course, which GVSUPD’s Officer Gwen DeGraaf said usually exceeds capacity, teaches basic RAD and more advanced techniques. Students who can’t get into the course can take RAD through the GVSU Women’s Center for a $5 fee, where, like at WSU, anyone is welcome provided there is room.
One mutual goal
In spite of the differences between the RAD programs, all of the officers share a common attitude — that rape awareness cannot be a one-sided issue. Both men and women need to be educated about sexual assault.
Wayne State has a program called Sexual Aggression Student Educators & Advocates, which provides a crisis line for survivors of sexual assault and harassment, while GVSU offers a similar peer group for men and women called Eyes Wide Open.
Northern Michigan took male education a step further with the 1-in-4 Men’s Group — a past attempt to educate males at NMU and in high schools around the Upper Peninsula about sexual assault. Peterman said he wants to bring back the program, even though attendance is a problem.
“The person who needs to be there, the one sexually assaulting people on campus, he’s not the guy who will be there,” Peterman said, “but it has definitely raised awareness, even though there are such a small percentage of reports to begin with.”
By the numbers
WSU had eight reported cases of forced sexual aggression in 2006, compared to the 595 rapes reported in the city of Detroit, according to the state of Michigan Web site. In 2007, there were nine WSU cases reported and one case so far in 2008.
According to the same Michigan report, in 2006, three of the 45 incidents of rape or attempted rape in Marquette County occurred at NMU. Oakland University had an even smaller percentage that year, with only one on-campus incident out of 405 occurrences in Oakland County.
The fact that so few sexual offenses are reported on these campuses does not necessarily mean that they are safe places.
“Not all sexual assaults are reported, so the statistics could be low,” said DeGraaf, referring to the fact that only three incidents were reported at GVSU for 2007 when Ottawa County reported 171. “It’s happening, but people just aren’t reporting it.”
NMU’s Peterman and OU’s Ross both said RAD cannot completely solve the problem of sexual assault on campus because it does not get at the underlying societal issues that lead to such behavior.
“Girls shouldn’t have to come in here to learn to protect themselves,” Peterman said. “If guys did what they should, it wouldn’t be a problem.”
Although it is not a complete solution, Ross said that it is still an important step towards changing attitudes and responses to rape and sexual aggression.
“RAD can’t change a bad guy who is a bad guy,” he said. “It can’t change our society or bad behavior, but to say we’re not going to teach women self-defense is a mistake.”
