Assault in Lot 9 thwarted

Self-defense training teaches women to act confidently, fight back, and never do as the attacker wants or says. On Feb. 1, one UCCS student effectively resisted and escaped her aggressor.

Campus Chief of Police Jim Spice relayed the details of the assault, imploring students to come forward with any information on the attacker. Spice explained that the victim parked in Lot 9 around 6 p.m. on Feb. 1. Walking through the parking lot towards her apartment, she noticed a suspicious white male. The assailant, a man in his twenties wearing blue jeans and a t-shirt, then grabbed the victim roughly from behind.

The victim immediately kicked out, aggressively fighting her assailant's attempts to pick her up and take her away. After continued screams and a few head butts, the victim successfully broke the attacker's grasp. Free, she ran straight to her apartment building. 

As noted by Chief Spice, the victim "did everything right," and it was her ability to defend herself that enabled her escape. Unfortunately, not every woman is so adequately prepared. A few tips given by Chief Spice were to walk confidently, give direct eye contact to strangers, and always say "Hello." These tools allow women to gain control of the situation and avoid a potential assault. One program, Rape Aggression Defense, (RAD) which focuses on developing and enhancing options of self-defense for women, is offered here at UCCS. The R.A.D System is a women's only course that begins with awareness, prevention, risk reduction, and risk avoidance. Women will learn effective yet simple defensive techniques. Chief Spice advises all women to enroll in the school's program and learn to fight back.

The next available R.A.D. course will be Friday, Apr. 23, in the training room of the Public Safety Department, with additional information on the UCCS Public Safety web site, http://www.uccs.edu/~pusafety/police/prevention/schedules/programsspring10.html. The course costs $25, and women can be certain to feel more confident and capable after the hands-on sessions, according to Spice.

Another service offered by Public Safety for student protection is the Safety Escort Program. By calling (719) 255-311, campus safety will send either an officer on duty or student security to accompany the caller.