Ohio State student Hannah Reese admits she was a little intimidated when she attended her first R.A.D. class. But as the classes went on she started to build her confidence. “I started to use my voice more and more,” said Reese, a freshman Middle Childhood Education major. “I’ve had a really great experience.” Reese, along with about a dozen other women, took part in the five-week course that was held at Ohio State.
R.A.D., which stands for Rape Aggression Defense, is a nationwide program that was brought to Ohio State about 20 years ago, and it’s taught by Ohio State University Police Division officers. The free class is open to all women in the community and teaches them about risk reduction, prevention, awareness and then progresses to hands-on defense training using realistic scenarios.
“Our motto is defense against abduction,” said Det. Cassandra Shaffer, one of the OSUPD R.A.D. instructors. “For any violent crime to happen to somebody you have to be abducted in some form.”
Class participant Kassandra Mestemaker, a sophomore art major, said now that she's completed the training she plans to persuade all her friends to take the class as well. “I think it’s amazing,” she said. “I think this is something that every female student should take just so that you feel prepared in any situation.”
Dates and signup information for the next R.A.D. class will be posted here.