People nationwide are becoming more dependent on their own abilities to defend themselves as the crime rate increases.

Millersville University is helping equip their young women with the tools they need to protect themselves by hosting women only Rape Aggression Defense (RAD) training classes during the month of September.

The Wellness and Woman’s programs on campus stress awareness of  “The Red Zone” for first year and transfer students.

The Red Zone is the period of time between when the freshmen and transfer students move in until fall break and it usually is the time when students are at the highest risk to encounter violence.

Millersville University Police Department Officer Maria Feliciano will be leading the self-defense class, held in the SMC Room 51, from 6-9 p.m.

A waiting list has already been established as the 15 students and staff members have already filled the slots for the class.

The classes aim to establish realistic situations and teach tactics that will improve women’s abilities to protect themselves in many different situations.

This training is supposed to improve women’s awareness as well.

The first class was held on Sept. 9th and involved getting the young women more conscious of the way that they carry themselves in public, as well as familiarizing them with the RAD programs and its components.

Feliciano is a certified RAD instructor and has been for the past five years.
She is enthusiastic about the program and describes it as, “Just enough to get you away from your attacker and to safety.”

Some campuses offer RAD for males, but it is relatively new to Millersville so it may take some time for the male RAD programs to develop.

Feliciano also said, “We are in the process of getting more people certified in RAD,” and she encourages all female students to get involved.

The next few sessions will help women learn defense moves to protect themselves if approached at an ATM, grabbed on the street, or even if they are unaware as to which direction their attacker is coming from.