RAD is an acronym that stands for Rape Aggression Defense, and it is a women’s self defense training course that Georgia Southern University’s Office of Public Safety offers to students.

“We’ve sent last early fall some folks to get certified to teach the Rape Aggression Defense (RAD) instruction,” Laura McCullough, Chief of Police at GS Public Safety, said.

Public Safety has had RAD instructors in the past, but they have either left or their schedules prevented them from teaching.

There are two parts to RAD training courses: classroom learning and applying learned tactics.

“RAD is a program designed specifically for college campuses.” McCullough said. Instead of being a program that’s heavy in martial arts tactics, the program intends to focus on common sense, easy to learn, and easy to remember methods.

RAD is free to students, and once the class has been taken, students can take a free refresher course anywhere in the country where the course is offered.

Courses can take place in different locations. Public Safety will either schedule a course or people can request it. “If you tell us the dates, we’ll find a location,” McCullough said.

Amiyana Dunn, freshman pre-nursing major, said, “[RAD] would be a great opportunity to learn how to defend yourself… and even if it doesn’t happen to you, you’ll be able to help somebody else defend themselves.”