The Department of Public Safety will be offering a free Rape Aggression Defense certified, non-graded course to Oregon State University students and employees. The course will be taught from Oct. 25-27, from noon to 4:15 p.m. each day. Participants can register for upcoming sessions on the DPS website. 

Basic and dynamic curriculum options are available, according to Officer Nicholas Herman, one of the instructors. The basic course consists of three “fully encompassing” four-hour sessions for a total of 12 hours over the course of three days, to develop specific techniques to use “in the wild,” Herman described.

The dynamic session combines the basic training with an additional session where participants have the opportunity to practice what they learned in simulated attacks.

“(Participants) can have a controlled environment to see how (their) body would react if there is an attack,” Herman said. “There’s an inner voice that’s developed and people find this inner confidence. That empowerment is awesome to see.”

According to Herman, although most RAD System’s curriculum focus on tactics most effective for women students of all genders are welcome to join, additionally DPS is also in the process of getting a course with certified self-defense tactics for men.

Additional sessions will be offered throughout the year, Herman stated, and will likely take place once a term. Participants with schedule conflicts will be allowed to leave and rejoin later sessions to accommodate their needs.

“When you come to college, you’re finding yourself in so many different ways and that goes with protecting yourself as well,” Herman said.