By: Erica Lampert & Max Bruns ~Staff Writer & Advertising Manager~

In response to students’ requests, the Student Government Association (SGA) has partnered with the Xavier Police (XUPD) to host a self-defense seminar for students, staff, faculty and the surrounding community. The seminar will feature Debbie and Mike Gardner from the Survive! Institute.

“We had some students that asked us to put on self-defense classes in the dorms,” Sergeant Shawn Bryce said, “and we weren’t able to put on classes where we could show them moves because in order to do that, we have to have someone certified to teach students in the right way. We didn’t want to do it without someone who is properly trained and experienced. So to satisfy the demand, we turned to … Debbie and Mike Gardner.”

According to the organization’s website, one of its goals is to teach students that they ultimately have the right to walk alone to classes and their workplace, and they have the right to meet, talk and trust new people.

“The basis of the seminar is to live with courage, not fear,” Bryce said. “It’s a love-based self-defense seminar. Love yourself enough to defend yourself. It’s meant to show a realistic example of what can happen and how you can protect yourself.”

The Survive! Institute will focus on a list of truths. It wants everyone to learn to break the freeze of fear and access courage in dangerous situations, to look and speak with authority, to recognize and outsmart crime setups, to know when to talk and when to strike legally, to know how to react to an armed attacker and to know how to explain love-based decisions to family.

The institute also believes that students deserve to learn new ideas to empower the only person whom they can ultimately depend on in a crisis: themselves.

The seminar will consist of three instruction areas. Part 1 involves crisis control and focuses on a person’s own self-control. Part 2 consists of realistic crime prevention, and Part 3 includes tips on surviving violence and weapon attacks.

The Survive! Team hopes that by the end of the seminar, everyone will replace an anxiety filled “Hope plan” (I hope nothing happens) with the courage-based plan “I CAN Plan” (I can save myself and others).

Junior Kate Frank had previously attended a self-defense seminar that the Student Activites Council held first semester and found it extremely beneficial. She emphasized the importance of such events.

“Self-defense is really important because in a large city like Cincinnati, people need to know how to protect themselves from harm,” Frank said.

Junior Kyra Bufi agrees.

“Self-defense is important because it gives you a sense of safety and confidence should you find yourself in a dangerous situation,” Bufi said. “I am not afraid to walk on campus alone at any time of day, but I would be wary of walking off campus alone, especially at night, just because there is less assured security in those areas.”

The seminar will be held from 6-8 p.m. on Feb. 7 in the Cintas Center Banquet Room. Student, faculty and staff who are interested in attending the seminar can register at https://commerce.cashnet.com/UPS_pay free of charge.

Members of the community can also register for the event at the same website and use the provided link available to make their payments. Single tickets for the event will cost $10, while a family of four will cost $25.