March 18, 2024

R.A.D. Class Offered to UMW Women

The following message is from the UMW Police Department:

The University of Mary Washington’s Police Department is offering the R.A.D. (Rape Aggression Defense) for Women class to female UMW students, faculty, and staff, over the course of three nights – Monday, Sept. 14, Tuesday, Sept. 15 and Friday, Sept. 18, 2015, from 6-9 p.m., located each night in Dance Room #5, Goolrick Hall on the pool level.

R.A.D. (Rape Aggression Defense) for Women is founded on four basic principles: Risk Awareness, Risk Reduction, Risk Recognition, and Risk Avoidance. These principles are the basis for 90 percent of self-defense education.

The R.A.D. Basic Physical Defense Program is a self-defense class designed for women of all ages and taught by men and women to teach methods to defend against potential attacks and educate women about risk awareness, risk reduction, risk recognition, and risk avoidance. The R.A.D. Systems Basic Physical Defense instructional objective is “to develop and enhance the options of self-defense, so they may become viable considerations to the woman who is attacked.”

R.A.D. Basic is a three-day course (3 hours per day) offered to female faculty/staff/students of the UMW community FREE of charge. This class will be taught by Sgt. Bobby Somers, who is a certified R.A.D. Instructor and Advanced R.A.D. Systems Instructor. Sgt. Somers serves as a Law Enforcement Defensive Tactics Instructor and is a former U.S. Army Special Operations Self-Defense and Survival Specialist.  Sgt. Somers is currently a patrol sergeant and field training officer with the UMW Police Department.  Sgt. Somers will be assisted by Officer Tegan Lewis. Officer Lewis is also a certified R.A.D instructor and Advanced R.A.D Systems instructor. Officer Lewis is currently a patrol officer with the UMW Police Department and was a former U.S. Army Military Police officer.

The class dates are Sept. 14, 15 and 18, 2015. YOU MUST ATTEND ALL THREE!

If you’re interested in taking this self-defense course, please contact Sgt. Bobby Somers by email at wsomers@umw.edu to register.  Spaces are limited!

University Police

University of Mary Washington (Brent  House)

Fredericksburg, VA 22401-5300

540-654-1025