Newfound confidence through self-defense

Hannah Bumgarner

Oct. 5, 2017

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One of the most talked about issues on college campuses is sexual assault. According to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), college women are three times more likely to experience sexual violence than other women.

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“A lot of people just assume police are more reactive than proactive,” said resource officer and certified Rape Aggression Defense (R.A.D.) instructor Alex Gale.

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The national organization, R.A.D. attempts to be just that: a proactive measure against sexual assault. R.A.D. was brought to Virginia Tech’s campus in the early 90s as a proactive m. By teaching ways that women can increase their awareness and develop skills to defend against an attacker, Gale believes this is one of the ways the Police Department can be more proactive.

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Throughout the years of the development of this program on Virginia Tech’s campus, the amount of participation in the course has steadily increased.

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Approximately 50 women attended the first session of the four-part program this semester, a dramatic increase from the 30-40 participants in previous semesters.

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According to Gale, the growth in the program is primarily contributed to the increase in communication from police through crime alerts.

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“It’s a trust building thing as well, when we do have this kind of exposure to our students, especially about something so serious, it gives them more trust and more comfort to come to us in cases like sexual assault,” said Gale.

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Before her career as a lacrosse athlete at Virginia Tech, Gale had 14 years of experience in self-defense and karate prior to her enrollment in the police academy in 2015.

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“Hearing about the R.A.D. program was pretty perfect with my experience,” said Gale.

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Although the topic at hand is serious and frightening, the instructors of this class work to create an enjoyable atmosphere for the students and employees.

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Fifth-year student and current intern for the R.A.D. program Shannon Cain keeps coming around for more. She has taken the class between 10-15 times and serves as an intern for the program.

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“It’s a fun class and it’s good practice every semester to redo all that stuff,” said Cain.

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Despite her background in martial arts, Cain has a newfound confidence.

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“You feel more safe, like you can take care of yourself and it’s actually helped my parents feel more safe about me being here because they know I can take care of myself now,” said Cain.

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The Police Department of Virginia Tech encourages all female students and employees to enroll in these free classes that are offered throughout the semester.

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They are also hoping to add a R.A.D. class for men in the spring.