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Self-defense classes give students the tools to protect themselves
Contributor
On Aug. 31, two University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point students were assaulted behind Toppers. One suffered a broken nose. The other was left unconscious.
The assault led some to question the campus atmosphere, and to wonder how to use this event to increase student safety.
Though the Aug. 31 incident is somewhat of an anomaly–the worst incident Bill Rowe, head of campus security, can remember in his six years of service—it still happened.
Students reported six cases of assault from 2007-2008 according to the 2008 activity report from UWSP protective services. And 17 percent of respondents to the Wisconsin System Climate Assessment Project “believed that they had personally experienced offensive, hostile or intimidating conduct that interfered unreasonably with their ability to work or learn on campus.”
There’s no doubt that despite our image of UWSP as a safe campus, bad situations can still occur.
The campus is already a fairly safe place due to the efforts of those in protective services. Every fall, a group of people including the chancellor, student government officials and campus police ensure that bushes are trimmed, emergency lights are working, and that campus paths are well-lit.
Bob Tomlinson, vice chancellor of student affairs, hopes that safety can be part of the atmosphere at UWSP rather than a passing concern for students at orientation. He believes that classes should be used to help students become more a part of the campus community rather than simply being mind factories for individual academic subjects.
“A classroom can have a broader perspective than just the sole topic of that class,” said Tomlinson, who believes that if professors took opportunities to address their students about campus issues and policies the campus atmosphere as a whole would be much safer.
The hardest part about crafting that future is the attitude of the student population.
“If there’s not a lot going on, then when we try to talk safety it doesn’t really register much,” said Tomlinson.
But Kyle Mealy, president of the UWSP taekwondo club and second degree black belt in both taekwondo and karate, is working with Tomlinson to change that.
Mealy came to Tomlinson early this year to talk about taking action in regard to teaching students self defense. This semester, he’s offered self-defense seminars to students in the healthy American classes for extra credit.
Daniel Berger, a fifth-degree black belt and staff advisor for the UWSP Taekwondo club, explains that self defense is more than physical training.
“It changes your attitude,” said Berger. “And in essence, that’s even more important than knowing how to block a technique, do an arm bar, hit to the solar plexus, whatever.”
“It’s really about being aware and being conscious of a situation that could become a bad situation,” said Mealy.
But it’s this importance of awareness that students don’t take seriously enough. Because violent occurrences are rare, students feel that they don’t have to take measures to protect themselves. Bill Rowe understands this difficulty first hand.
“It’s just not a real high crime area,” Rowe said about Stevens Point. “There are so many different types of resources available for students, I don’t think they take advantage of them nearly enough.”
The addition of optional self-defense training to healthy American classes is a start to raising student safety awareness, but Bob Tomlinson does not believe that scope is wide enough in the long run.
“It’s a first step, and hopefully in the future we can grow this program,” said Tomlinson. “One of the things the university’s looking at is a freshman seminar. Every freshman would be required to take a one- or two-credit course on just general orientation of the university.”
Tomlinson said self-defense would certainly be a good thing to include in these courses.
Mealy has run two self defense seminars this semester already, and will hold one more women’s self defense seminar on Oct. 29, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Studio B of the Allen Center. He invites anyone interested in learning more about self defense or martial arts in general to attend Taekwondo club.
“It helps you tune into your instincts and listen to what feels right and what doesn’t,” said Berger referring to self defense training. “But you won’t get that from a two hour self-defense seminar. That comes with practice; that comes with martial arts training.”
Beginning club sessions are offered Mondays from 7 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. in Health Enhancement Center room 154, Tuesdays from 5 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. in HEC room 110, Wednesdays from 7:45 to 8:30 p.m. in HEC 154, and Thursdays from 5:45 to 6:30 p.m. in HEC 110, with advanced sessions also available.
For more information, visit http://www.uwsp.edu/stuorg/taekwondo.
