"No!" answer seven women in reverberating unison as they fall into defensive stance: left hands raised to block, feet apart for careful balance, clenched fists ready at waists.
Martial arts training? Women in the military? No. This scenario is a part of Rape Aggression Defense training. Any woman who has ever walked alone on campus at night puts herself at risk for attack, and the RAD system is designed to build up a woman's confidence as well as her physical ability to evade an attacker.
Jim Baylor is Rice's RADical Sergeant, meaning that he instructs the class and welcomes being pummeled (while wearing protective gear, of course). Baylor teaches the RAD class along with University of Houston-Downtown police officer Kris Clark. Usually, RUPD officer Ken Nipe also instructs the class, but he was impaired by a soccer injury and could not instruct our class -- Class 96-6 -- except for once when he served as Baylor's substitute.
"There remain some feelings on the part of aggressors, both male and female, that most women will not resist violence or when confronted will remain the `passive, submissive' female. While compliance to violence is an effective survival tactic, physical resistance is a viable option. This is the capstone of RAD training," Baylor said.
Any woman (and only women) can take the RAD class -- even one as uncoordinated as I am. The ages of the seven women in my class covered a wide range.
Even after seeing the introductory video, I never thought that I could successfully fight off an attacker. Not only did the course prove me wrong, it also proves that every female can defend herself.
The first day I attended the class, we learned -- first in the classroom, then in the practice room (which was actually the racquetball court at Autry Court) -- about basic principles of defense, from personal weapons and vulnerable locations to blocking and parrying motions. This was all strange and new to me -- I had not even known how to make a proper fist before the class commenced.
The next stage of the RAD class taught us the hammer fist, the elbow strike and techniques to break away when grabbed by the wrists. We learned about getting out of unwanted bear hugs and choke holds. Building upon this, we learned about knee strikes, kicks and escaping when forced to the ground.
Finally, we underwent the simulations themselves -- the culmination of the many hours of training. The simulations are proof positive that the power to escape a bad situation lies within us all.
"We have seen introverted ladies morph into assertive, positive women in the short 12 to 14 hours of training," Baylor said.
Having undergone the Rice RAD program, I now feel better-equipped to deal with attackers. And certainly much more paranoid and watchful -- a beneficial, and fully intentional, side-effect of RAD training. Other RAD graduates agree.
"There are times when I must attend functions un-escorted. I never had to worry before because I was `protected' by my [now deceased] husband. After taking the RAD class, I feel as though now I am prepared for the unexpected," Kathleen Roberts, administrative secretary at the School of Architecture, said.
Lovett College junior Danielle Bilyeu said, "I took the RAD class because the world is scary ... now that I've taken it, I feel much more confident in my ability to fight back -- probably the best part was just having it instilled in me that fighting back is a viable option. I feel like I could get away from an aggressor so long as he didn't have weapons, whereas before I probably would have frozen up if somebody had grabbed me. It was getting to actually hit and block and get away that I got stuff out of."
Graduate student in Chemistry Kelly Gillogly also found the class beneficial. "Jim Baylor and Kris Clark were extremely professional, setting high expectations for and instilling confidence in every member of the class. The most important thing that we learned was that it was not only OK but even great to say `No!' and even better to `yell' it. I thought that every one of the sessions was time well spent. Jim and Kris taught us how to be smart in tough situations. I would recommend the course for all Rice female students."
Rice is unusual among the many institutions that offer RAD training for two reasons: One, the training is free, and two, Rice also offers RAD training for credit in the form of a Human Performances class. Since Rice began offering the RAD class in February 1995, over 130 women have benefitted from the training.
"Chief [Mary] Voswinkel's opinion is that if this training helps just one person, the time, money and effort of the department have been a positive investment," Baylor said.
The last RAD training sessions for 1996 will begin Dec. 2. The class will be conducted in four evening sessions (4-8 p.m.) and will conclude Dec. 11. There is no charge for the course; all that is required is 16 hours of one's time. However, enrollment is limited to 16 women because "several classes ago, we attempted a large group of 23. This proved to be a mistake for both Nipe and me. Having to go through two simulations each, this equated to 46 encounters per instructor per night," Baylor said. "As in any other physical training, fatigue does set in and the risk of injury to the instructor goes up as muscle fatigue develops. Because of this, we have had to limit our class size to 16 women."
To enroll or learn more about Rice's RAD offerings, contact Baylor at the police department at 527-6000, or baylor@rice.edu.
