Northern Michigan University will bring back its one-credit RAD self-defense course for women in the fall. The goal of the RAD approach is to reduce victimization through informed decision-making choices and sensible action. It is a practical blend of threat-avoidance strategies and real-world assault resistance tactics.
Students can select one of two half-semester sessions. Each meets from 6-9:20 p.m. Mondays. No experience is required. The course will end with a simulation in which NMU police will act as perpetrators and women can apply the skills learned in the class.
“It’s really about empowering women and letting them know they are capable of defending themselves,” said Jesse Wernholm of the NMU Police Department, one of the program instructors. “We want to make them aware of their surroundings—what to look for and what to avoid. And we teach them if they do get into a situation, there are different physical defensive techniques they can apply.”
For more information on the HP215 course, contact Wernholm at jwernhol@nmu.edu.