University of Northern Iowa - Old Gold Yearbook (Cedar Falls, IA)

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WHEN NO DOESN'T WORK It was 11:30 at night. A UNI student packed up her books after a long night of studying and proceeded home from the library. Halfway home, she began to no- tice the sound of an additional set of footsteps. She turned around to identify her follower, was attacked from behind and raped. She was a victim of sexual assault. According to the October 5, 1988, is- sue of USA Today, an estimated 6,000 rapes happened this year. Among this staggering statistic, only 10 percent told the police about it. Many victims declined to report rape because of feelings of helplessness. However, help could be found by con- tacting Public Safety, the crisis center in Waterloo or the UNI counseling center. There were several myths that sur- rounded rape. When we talk about sexual abuse, it comes in two different forms, explained Dave Zarifis, UNI Support Sen-ices Co- ordinator from the Department of Public Safety. Most people think that stranger rapes or blitz rapes are common. I can't say it hasn't happened, but it happens very infrequently. The majority of rapes are between people who know each oth- er. Another myth was that women pre- cipitated rape. Some people have the misconception that if a rape occurs on a date, and the female dresses flirtatiously, then what does she expect? said Associate Pro- fessor Sharon Huddleston, who taught a rape prevention course. Students at UNI had a place to receive education on the prevention of rape and how to protect themselves. A popular class offered by the Physical Education Department called Self-Defense and Rape Prevention provided fundamental skills on how one could better protect oneself from becoming a victim. We developed the course out of a real need from the students, said Huddles- ton. We also offer courses in the martial arts. Judo and Karate, which are more specific types of self-defense. However, Huddleston said her course, Self-Defense and Rape Prevention, centered around common sense tech- niques, better known as dirty street fight- ing. These techniques do not need to be practiced in as much depth as do the martial arts. According to Huddleston, the class discussed what weapons were available on the body. They also found out which parts of the assailant's body would be the easiest to damage: the eyes and the nose. 1 would have to say that the eye attacks are the most important skill that I outline in class, stressed Huddleston. All you need is a free hand for a split second to blind someone. This is enough to stop an assailant. Self-defense against an armed assail- ant with a knife and a gun were dis- cussed in detail during the course of the class. The simple movements in defend- ing oneself against a gun were practiced with squirt guns. This was a funny way to do it, but without practice there would be no way you could successfully defend yourself, said senior Nancy Chelsey, a student of the class. I practiced the techniques voluntarily with my boyfriend, which was more re- alistic than practicing with a girlfriend because of size, explained Chelsey. Prevention of a rape was just as im- portant as the self-defense. First of all, 1 ask people to really scrutinize their daily routinues — what kinds of things leave them open to possible dangers, said Huddleston. Since I have taken the class I've prac- ticed awareness and prevention skills, shared Chelsey. She said that when she walked to her car, she placed her keys between her fingers. This would provide her with extra protection in the event of an attack. Huddleston advised that a victim should not scream; this would commu- nicate weakness to the assailant. But if a victim yelled, get away from me or let me go, this communicated aggres- siveness to the attacker. The popularity of this class made it difficult to get into. However, Chelsey commented, I recommend the class so highly because it is something that you can use for the rest of your life. — Maureen Hood Self-defense methods can save victims from ex- periencing life threatening situations. Sharon Hud- dleston teaches a class on basic self-defense, f Vttvmet Koh 24 Date Rape

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Walking on the wrestling squad forces Creg and Matt Fuglsang to competitively wrestle each other for the first time. Matt wrestles at 156 pounds and Creg at 118 pounds. n te» ty o«iii wa nrr Student Life 23

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Rap often occurs not just between strangers, but with people previously acquainted or who have been dating. by Omul Wtgm. Student Ufe 25