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Special to the Gazette
By Andrea Lee, New Services
Safety isn't a concern at the top of everyone's list.
For Tamara Ohr-Campbell, a Davis Library employee, hearing in 1993 about a
female jogger killed on Estes Drive in Chapel Hill spurred her to action.
Ohr-Campbell, who attended her first self-defense basic class at Carolina in
the early 1990s, found that the class turned her on to a new way of looking at
things.
"I never yelled before," Ohr-Campbell said. "I was really charged up. I faced a
whole new world in which I could take care of myself."
Other women have taken advantage of the self-defense class at Carolina since it
was first offered by human resources' Training and Development Department in
1991. In fact, according to Beth Seigler, instructor for SafeSkills, huge
response from a campuswide survey prompted the first class for University
employees.
Durham-based SafeSkills conducts the classes, which over the years have tended
to be at full capacity, around 20 employees, Seigler said. In a safe,
supportive setting, women of many different ages, fitness levels, sizes and
backgrounds have practiced techniques on targets preparing them for real-life
encounters should they ever face them. The next class will be held July 19.
"Most women have the fear that if they are attacked they will freeze," Seigler
said. "They have a fear of being choked or grabbed in learning (self-defense).
Self-defense is not as complicated as you think, not like what you see in the
movies."
Seigler stressed that the focus of the class is not just safety tips. It equips
you for what to do next in case an attack happens.
Participants practice mind setting, a technique where the instructor acts out a
situation, and the audience talks out different points that might cause fear,
Seigler said. They then look at what went wrong in that scenario and what can
be done the next time someone might be faced with that situation.
Other techniques include kicking, punching and yelling, Seigler said. These
self-defense mechanisms help women feel more confident when walking around
campus and avoid possible crime situations.
"There's always going to be someone out there looking for a victim and we want
to get out of that radar screen," Seigler said.
The self-defense class has benefits for people in the office as well.
Employees' stress levels are reduced, enabling them to be more productive on
the job.
"Stressed-out employees are not good employees," Seigler said.
The class covers the stress issue. "We work on improving the emotional as well
as physical state," Seigler said.
In addition to stress management, the self-defense class gives confidence to
women who may have been attacked or those who wish to live defensively, aware
of situations that might arise.
"It's like defensive driving," Seigler said. "It's best to have the knowledge
even if you never need it."
Seigler and her co-instructor, Kathleen Hopwood, are sensitive to survivors of
rape or other attacks. The hope that Seigler offers for these victims is
"knowledge is power."
The emotional and physical skills that participants take away are more than
just a necessity to safety. Both Seigler and Ohr-Campbell agree that the class
is fun. Seigler says someone who is considering the class should know that she
can expect a dynamic, non-intimidating atmosphere where she will learn.
"Every woman should take the class," said Ohr-Campbell, who feels that she now
has more confidence to deal with situations and can detect when a violent
situation might surface.
"I have a right to be at the bus stop, and now I can defend that right,"
Ohr-Campbell said.
Next class set for July 19
The Training and Development Department will next offer the Self-Defense
Workshop for women on July 19 from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. Employees interested in
taking the class should call 2-2550 to sign up. The class is free to female
employees. Other 2000-01 workshops will be held Oct. 11, Nov. 15, Feb. 21 and
April 25 (level two).
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