Male student says limiting RAD classes to women is unfair

A male student is upset about not being allowed to take the free Rape Aggression Defense cours­es, as they are limited to female students.

"Self-defense I believe is a basic right for all human beings," senior Cornelius Horgan said. "I don't think it is right to choose whom the ability to defend oneself is taught to based on their gender and that particular gender's involvement in a given criminal of­fense."

Program advisor Sergio Oliva did not respond to a request for comment.

Horgan added that men are subject to rape as well as women.

"Being a criminal justice major, I can say that while women make up a large portion of sexual as­saults and rapes, men are also part of that category," Horgan said. "The fact that (men) are a minority in that category should not matter when it comes to teaching some­thing as simple as self-defense."

According to Seton Hall's website (offered by the Division of Student Services) the RAD course is a self-defense train­ing program that focuses on em­powering, educating and training women to handle a variety of dan­gerous circumstances.

Seton Hall adds that along with teaching the basics of risk awareness, risk avoidance, risk recognition and risk protection, RAD incorporates martial arts into the course as a practical way of defense in response to a violent and dangerous situation.

The website said it is taught to over 250,000 women across North America and Seton Hall Univer­sity offered two sessions of the course, on Feb. 1 and Feb. 3.

The class was made available to all females of the University, al­lowing no male participants.

Horgan said that both men and women have an equal right to learn how to defend themselves regardless of the statistics.

"Men are victims of rape, too," Horgan said.

Although Horgan voiced his resentment toward the female- only policy of this program, the courses were still only available to women.

While some students viewed this as a sort of gender discrimina­tion, others said that this program being limited to females is for the better.

Freshman Connor Breza is among students who said he does not believe this course should be available to males.

"Personally, I don't believe men should be allowed to take the course," Breza said. "It might make women feel uncomfortable if men were present, which would go against the entire concept of the class. If the class is for the em­powering and training of women, they should not be made to feel uncomfortable."

Freshman Ema Caballero com­mented on females feeling un­comfortable.

"While I can't speak for every woman, I know I would not feel uncomfortable with having men in a self-defense class," Caballero said.

Caballero said she believes men as well as women are at risk of being assaulted, so they should be able to participate in the class­es.

"If men want to learn to defend themselves during a dangerous situation, they have just as much right to it as we do," Caballero said.

Horgan said he believes that everyone should have an equal chance to learn how to protect themselves.

"Women and men should both be afforded the right and ability to defend themselves from harm regardless of the situation or the motives of their attacker," Horgan said.

Erica Szczepaniak can be reached at erica.szczepaniak@student.shu.edu.