Women of Columbus learned valuable information Monday night at a self-defense workshop at the South Campus Gateway. The event presented defense techniques and advice for women who find themselves in dangerous situations.
MATT CARISSIMI/THE LANTERN
Ohio State University Police officer Don Cornwell teaches a women's self-defense workshop for University Area Crime Stoppers at The Event Place at South Campus Gateway Monday evening.Held at The Event Place in the South Campus Gateway, the workshop was open to all women ages 16 and older. It was sponsored by University Area Crime Stoppers, The Ohio State University Police Division and South Campus Gateway.
"F.B.I. statistics say that seven out of 10 women will be a victim of an assault in the four years at college," said Officer Don Cornwell of the University Police Division. "The cold, hard fact is that most women at OSU know their attacker." Cornwell, who has extensive experience in teaching self-defense and rape prevention classes, led the workshop.
He said the workshops and the defense class offered by Ohio State, Rape Aggression Defense (RAD), started because a rapist was loose in Columbus years ago.
"There are three reported rapes every day in Columbus, and that's probably not even half as many as what actually happen," Cornwell said. "As a whole, the population of women should be up in arms about this all the time."
F.B.I. statistics show that if a woman shows resistance, she has about a 75 percent chance of getting away or of having minor injuries, Cornwell said. He gave tips for prevention of attacks, one of which was to not talk on the phone while walking alone at night. It can distract a woman from her surroundings. He also said all women should buy a cheap wallet and fill it with fake credit cards and a $1 bill so that if someone approaches a woman, she can throw it on the ground as a diversionary tactic.
If someone grabs a woman and takes her to another location, 99 percent of the time the woman is not coming back alive, Cornwell said.
"If you start yelling and screaming, they're probably not going to take you there or shoot you there as that attracts attention," Cornwell said. "Look them in the face, start yelling and start running."
Cornwell gave tips on what to do if someone enters the home to attack. It begins with having a "safe room," like a bedroom, which can be locked and with furniture ready to fortify the door. He also recommended having mace in the bedroom and a cell phone.
"If you have to put the phone down while calling 9-1-1, keep yelling your address at the top of your lungs," Cornwell said.
Another RAD course will be offered Summer Quarter by the OSU Police Division. For more information, visit the University Police Web site at www.ps.ohio-state.edu/police/rad/.
"Students should join these courses more than anyone, as we have a problem with students being attacked on this campus," Cornwell said. "We need to get this going and out there so women can protect themselves and each other."
Caitlin O'Neil can be reached at oneil.97@osu.edu.
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