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    R.A.D.

    Rape Aggression Defense

    Self Defense Class for Women
    Sponsored by the Webster University Department of Public Safety

    R.A.D. Objective:

    “To develop and enhance the options of self defense, so they may become viable considerations to the woman who is attacked.”

    ~ Lawrence N. Nadeau

    Webster University offers both Basic R.A.D. and the Advanced R.A.D. twice each semester. 

    Basic R.A.D. is offered the first term of the semester, during the day and the evening.  Day classes are held Tues and Thurs from 2:00-3:20pm.  Evening classes are held on Monday nights from 5:30-8:30, for the first eight weeks of the semester.

    Advanced R.A.D. is held the same days and times as the Basic R.A.D during the second eight weeks of the semester.

    Woman must not depend on the protection of a man but must be taught to defend herself."

    ~ Susan B. Anthony, 1871

    What is R.A.D.?

    The Rape Aggression Defense program, known as RAD, is a self-defense course specifically and only for women. The program was founded in 1989 by a former campus police officer. Today the course is taught at more than four hundred colleges and universities and has trained more than five thousand instructors and more than two hundred fifty thousand women. The program's instructional objective is "to develop and enhance the options of self-defense, so they become viable options to the woman who is attacked." The growing wide spread acceptance of this system is primarily due to the ease, simplicity and effectiveness of our tactics, solid research, legal defensibility and unique teaching methodology.  R.A.D. is the only self-defense program endorsed by the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA).

    This system of realistic defense will provide women with the knowledge to make an educated decision about resistance. We operate on the premise that a spontaneous violent attack will stimulate a natural desire to resist on the part of the victim (supported by research). We educate women about the "Fight or Flight Syndrome," while showing them that enhancing their option of physical defense is not only prudent, but also a necessity if natural resistance is to be effective.

    The course differs from other self-defense programs in that it provides a foundation of risk reduction through avoidance strategies in addition to active defensive tactics. The R.A.D. System is a comprehensive course for women that begin with awareness, prevention, risk reduction and avoidance while progressing to the basics of hands-on self-defense training. R.A.D. is neither a Martial Arts program nor does it require students to be athletes in training to succeed. Because the class emphasizes awareness as well as self-defense, it addresses the threat from both a stranger and an acquaintance perspective.

    Every student receives a manual for reference and practice.  Once a student has completed a R.A.D. program, their signed manual becomes a ticket for free lifetime return policy with any R.A.D. instructor in the U.S. or Canada

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    Why is R.A.D. needed?

    One out of every 4 college women polled was sexually assaulted during their years at college.  (Ms. Magazine study on Sexual assault and rape).

    Between 1973 and 1987, (14 years), over 2.3 million women reported sexual assaults in the United States. Seventy-one percent of these victims avoided being raped by taking self-protective measures. (United States Dept. of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics)

    In 1988, rape victims took self-protective measures in 86.7% of the cases. "Rape victims were more likely to defend themselves than assault or robbery victims." (Criminal Victimization in the United States, 1988).

    Somewhere in America, a woman is sexually assaulted every two minutes, according to the U.S. Department of Justice

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    The four elements of empowerment.

    1.) Education:  This element educates women in basic confrontational principles, understanding reaction time, vulnerable target areas, personal weapons and the development of a survival mindset.  The more women learn about confrontational principles the les they fear confrontation.  Education also encompasses risk awareness, reduction, recognition, and avoidance techniques.

    2.) Dependency on Self:  Teaching women to depend on themselves for protection, not their father, brother, boyfriend, husband, etc.  Personal weapons are the most accessible, they are by far the most dependable, if women can instill within themselves reliance on personal weapons, they will have little need for the previous “dependency based defense”.  Self reliance is an integral element of empowerment.

    3.) Making your own decisions:  A woman must learn to decide when to use or not use force in self-defense. Making decisions based on what is right for her at that point in time and realizing that she is responsible for her own actions or inactions. Not to second guess the decisions made at that time the main goal is to SURVIVE.

    4.) Self-realization of your physical power:  By creating the opportunity for a woman to exert her physical strength, you help her to explore the possibilities of that strength.  This is usually uncharted territory, because most women have not hit anything with 100% of force.

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    10 Reasons to choose R.A.D.

    1. Maintains standards of acceptability for female self-defense programs
    2. Offers no-nonsense, practical techniques of defense
    3. Researches the effects of "The Fight or Flight Syndrome"
    4. Certified instructor(s) from the community.
    5. Offers advanced, self-defense courses that build upon the physical defense system
    6. Provides static, fluid and dynamic hands on training
    7. Provides students with a comprehensive Reference Manual
    8. Certified Instructors 
    9. Boasts a litigation defense policy.
    10. Offers a life time free return policy.

    Instructor:

    Liza Schultheis
    Communications Specialist
    Webster University Department of Public Safety
    Basic Instructor Certification: Charleston South Carolina June 2003
    Advanced Instructor Certification: Burlington Vermont July 2006

    For more information on R.A.D. Systems, please refer to their home page at: www.rad-systems.com

    Webster University
    470 East Lockwood, Webster Groves MO 63119
    314-968-7430   1-800-981-9801

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    Crime Prevention
    Contact Information

    Office of Public Safety
    572 Garden Ave.
    St. Louis, MO 63119
    314-968-7430

    Emergency Line
    314-968-6911

    Power Failure - Emergency Line
    314-220-8487

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