Monica Wise, IUS Police sergeant, held a self-defense class on March 14.

Wise said she started the class several years ago because there was no personal safety class on campus.

She has since added different demonstrations and provided updated safety tips to the class.

Wise said she started the class because of peeping tom incidents on campus. She said a male was sneaking into the ladies restrooms and looking under the stalls. There were also reports of sexual assaults in the neighborhood.

“If a lot of crime is going on, people get paranoid, and they come to these types of programs,” Wise said.

Wise’s first class had 60 people.

“One year I’ll have 30 people, the next I’ll have six,” Wise said. “It depends on the time of the year and what is going on.”

This year, seven people attended the class.

Wise said she offered the class before spring break to see if it would bring more people in since most would be going out of town in unfamiliar areas. She said she wanted people to be able to feel like they can protect themselves.

“Knowing self-defense gives people empowerment and confidence in themselves,” Wise said.

She has also taught the self-defense class at churches, civic groups, a 6th grade class and at a mother-daughter sleepover.

Katrina Boyd, elementary education sophomore, said she enjoyed the class.

“It gives you confidence in yourself,” Boyd said. “I’m a shy person, so it helped me become more physical in a real situation.”

Boyd said the best aspect of the class was the physical part.

“Situations like that could really happen,” Boyd said. “The class helped me be better prepared to handle myself.”

Wise said a lot of people die of gunshots because they do not have the right mentality, and they give up.

“You are valuable to someone,” Wise said. “You have to have the mentality that you want to survive. It comes back psychologically as to how you perceive yourself. Someone loves and needs you.”

During the class, Wise demonstrated how to throw a punch, kick and elbow a perpetrator.

She also explained the importance of knowing how to get free if somebody gets put into a head lock.

Everybody partnered together to practice the motions of getting free from a headlock and escaping if their arms were behind their back.

They were also able to practice hitting and kicking a punching bag as Wise provided helpful tips on how to make their hits and kicks stronger.

Wise told the students to make their hits and kicks stronger by rotating their hips.

Wise said the way to have a survival mentality is to have belief, potential, action and results.

By TIFFANY ADAMS

Staff

adamstif@ius.edu