Self-Defense Techniques Help You Survive on Campus

"It's different from a lot of other programs," says Smith. "We feel that the BYAM method is much more balanced, and it deals with the overall spectrum of crimes—scams and so forth."

Safety experts believe self-defense classes make students more aware of their surroundings and the dangers they may face. For example, Temple's RAD students are taught to "case their joints" for chinks in the security at their own homes or apartments. Some also believe the classes improve students' self-esteem.

"We do believe it's part of a comprehensive plan—it's not an elixir, but it certainly can't hurt," says Jonathan Kassa, executive director of a Pennsylvania-based nonprofit called Security on Campus.

His organization was created in response to the case of Jeanne Clery, a student at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa., who was brutally raped and murdered in her dormitory in 1986. Family members learned later that many violent and nonviolent incidents had been reported to campus police but that students had not been warned about potential threats. Clery's family pressured Congress to pass the Jeanne Clery Act, obligating colleges and universities to publish crime statistics. "You need to know your data first, which is why you need to have good crime statistics and reporting," says Kassa. "The other [aspect] is prevention, and that is something self-defense classes can help with. For students to realize they are part of the solution can be very helpful."

As class wraps up for the semester back at Temple, some of the seniors reflect on why they registered for rad. Broadcast major Sinopoli took the course because she wants to do investigative reporting and has heard "horror stories." Knauss signed up because she had heard rave reviews—and because some unsavory off-campus encounters in Philadelphia prompted her to want to know how to respond.

"There was something Michelle said at the beginning of the class: It's one thing to be confident, but if you don't have the skills to actually back up that confidence, it's useless; it's just an attitude," says Knauss.

"I know that I'm pretty feisty," she adds. "But could I go through the moves?"