Describe your program and how it enhanced student life at OSU.
“Women’s Campus Safety and Self Defense” was held on Sunday, October 5, 2008 at the Recreation and Physical Activities Center on the campus of Ohio State University. This program was designed to teach women on campus ways to protect themselves in case they were ever attacked by a person. Deborah Shipperd from the Student Wellness Center served as both the speaker and teacher. The program had approximately 50 participants and started off with Shipperd sharing her experiences of being attacked at a young age. Not only did this enhance Shipperd’s credibility, it also enhanced participants’ attentiveness. Shipperd stated that “because of her past experiences, it was imperative that she become involved on this campus to make sure young women had the skills and courage they needed to survive an attack”.
After Shipperd shared her experiences, she began to talk about statistics and ways to avoid an attack. Participants learned that an attacker has no specific look and that often times' women are more likely to be attacked by someone they know. Shipperd told participants ways to stay calm and how use common items to help during an attack. One does not have time to pull out mase and point it an attacker, so a car or house key can be used as weapons of self defense. A team builder was done amongst the women to build confidence and self esteem. Shipperd then explained that confidence is imperative during an attack. If the attacker can sense that the victim is afraid, he/she will play off of the person’s fear and it will put the attacker in a commanding position.
Next, Shipperd and the participants moved to a different room and Shipperd began to show the participants techniques. Knowing that during an attack one does not always remember the technical term, Shipperd told participants to remember key areas to attack. These areas included the eyes, the neck, the nose, the genital area and the shins. While participants chuckled at the way Shipperd presented the techniques, many of them can attest that it was her presentation that helped them remember these moves. After 15 minutes of showing moves and making sure participants had them, participants partnered up and began to try the moves on each other. While participants did the moves on each other, Shipperd walked the room again to make sure the women did the moves correctly. Many of the participants had the moves remembered and performed them correctly.
Before the program concluded, participants summed up everything they had learned. Nothing was omitted and Shipperd was impressed. Program chairmen Jasmine Bowie then presented two separate questions to the participants. The participants who answered the question correctly received a gift card to Target. The program then concluded with women who were not only more self confident, but more aware of their surroundings. The next day the program was talked about by many women over campus. One participant stated that she showed her roommate the moves so that she could be prepared for any situation that may occur.
“Women’s Campus Safety and Self Defense” is an excellent program because of the many elements that it brought together. Women learned about the importance of self confidence and self esteem, especially during an attack. Women also learned that if attacked, one can overcome it, just as Shipperd had done. The program was not only educational, but it was also fun and interactive. The environment was open and relaxing, encouraging women to be themselves. Women’s Campus Saftey and Self Defense” was well thought out and put together. The execution was done beautifully by both Deborah Shipperd and members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. This program was a success and it will be a program that the sorority continues to have.
Why is this program the most outstanding at OSU? How does it actively involve students, embrace the university initiatives of diversity and/or collaborate with other organizations or university departments?
“Women’s Campus Safety and Self Defense” has enhanced the areas of diversity, social interaction, learning and service on our community in many ways. The program was inclusive and advertised to women all over campus. The participants were diverse in many ways other than race. Some were from rural areas, while others were from the city and some had even experienced being attacked. This diversity taught the women that they all had one thing in common; the possibility of being attacked. Attacks are not color specific, and there is no one look that an attacker has. The women walked away with the understanding that as women it is imperative to watch after each other.
Social interaction has been enhanced by teaching the women to be more aware of their surroundings. Speaker Deborah Shipperd encouraged the women to have fun, but also reminded them that attacks usually occur from someone that they know. One should be aware of their surroundings both day and night, on or off campus. Social interaction was also enhanced by the set up of the program itself. When participants partnered off, it was encouraged that they partner with someone that they did not know. This interaction proved that people from different backgrounds could work together to achieve a common goal.
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated is here to be a service to this campus and this program truly enhanced our understanding of this. As African Americans, women, and students, this program has enhanced our understanding that we are apart of many communities and we must be of service to each and every one of them equally. Part of the purpose of the sorority is to “study and alleviate problems concerning girls and women” and this program embodied that. Not only have we as a sorority enhanced our knowledge of service, but many of the participants also became of service. Participants showed their roommates and friends the moves that they learned to help the friends become more knowledgeable about attacks and what to do if one was to ever occur.
Finally, the program was designed to be a learning tool, thus enhancing all of the participants’ knowledge. Participants were encouraged to continue to live their lives while having the knowledge to protect their selves in case something was to happen. All participants, including the speaker walked away with a better sense of what it means to be self confident and aware.
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