Editor's note: The following article contains references to sexual violence.
Members of the campus and local community alike can learn to protect themselves with the Eastern Michigan University police's six-week self-defense class, which begins Wednesday, March 11, 2026.
The class is part of the national Rape Aggression Defense program, which began in 1989, and teaches realistic self-defense techniques for women, alongside lecture and discussion.
Officer Andrea Elliott said the class will teach basic self defense techniques, including stances, strikes, kicks, ground techniques and how to punch. Elliott is a community engagement officer at EMU, as well as a Special Victims Unit investigator on the university police force.
The class welcomes both students and community members and is open to women and non-binary individuals 16 years or older. Class participants under age 18 need a parent or guardian to sign a waiver to enroll. When there is interest, the EMU Department of Public Safety also hosts a similar class for men.
“The reason we have separate classes is that men and women are usually attacked for different reasons,” Elliott said. Nonbinary people can participate in whichever class they feel most comfortable and can reach out to the public safety department to identify which class would be most appropriate for them.
The class will culminate in a simulation activity in which participants will wear boxing gloves and padding and practice self-defense techniques on officers and dispatch employees in padded gear acting as assailants.
“I joke with the young ladies: You get to beat up a police officer and get away with it,” Elliott said. The simulation, held during the final class session, is optional.
In addition to basic self-defense techniques, the class will also teach other skills, such as situational awareness, how to respond if approached by someone unsafe and confidence building, Elliott said.
“A lot of people have noted in the past, and we even see it sometimes with some people, that they gain confidence,” Elliott said.
Elliott said attackers often target people who appear insecure or vulnerable, and this class can help participants learn to carry themselves assertively as a protective measure.
In most cases of sexual assault reported at EMU, the survivor knew their attacker, Elliott said. Nationally, 60% of rapes are committed by someone known to the survivor, reported the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network. The class is informed by this, providing different situational options for self-defense and education around emotional abuse and manipulation.
Elliott said the class teaches participants to respond by using the element of surprise in self defense. However, the class also teaches that compliance is an option, too.
“No one has the right to judge you for complying, if that’s the case, because … no one is in that situation, particularly, but you,” Elliott said. “The person, the attacker, may have a gun, a knife; you don’t know what they have. So only that person can make that decision.”
Elliott said anyone would benefit from participating in a self-defense class, and she encouraged people to sign up for it. Previously, Elliott has seen mother-daughter duos participate in the class.
“We strongly encourage people to sign up with friends,” she said. “It is a good de-stresser.”
Class details
Registration is currently open for the self-defense class. A registration link can be found on the university's safety department webpage. The class meets once a week from 5:30-8 p.m. Wednesdays for six weeks, starting March 11, in McKenny Hall.
The cost of the six-week class is $25, but if interested participants find the fee cost prohibitive, there are scholarships available, as long as the participant is willing to commit to the entire class, Elliott said.
The class is open to women and nonbinary people, 16 and older.
Students can earn Learning Beyond the Classroom credit through participating in this course. Additionally, upon successful completion of the course, participants will receive a signed form, which they can show at any other RAD self-defense class to participate and practice for free.
“You only have to pay once,” Elliott said. “We have a couple of people from a previous class last semester who are going to be coming back to practice with us, and they don’t have to pay again.”
For questions about the class, contact Elliott at aelliott@emich.edu.
Safety tips
Elliott offered some general safety tips to the campus community. She advised people to be aware of their surroundings and to avoid walking with both earbuds in or while looking at their phone.
“I would recommend that you at least only put in one earbud so you can kind of hear what’s going on around you,” she said.
She also recommended students download the EagleReady app, which offers safety resources and has a mobile blue light function. The app also allows users to share their location with a friend. The EMU police station also gives out self-defense spray for free, along with guidance on responsible use, she said. Elliott reminded people to keep their doors, including car doors, locked.
She said that if students need to walk alone on campus, they can use the safety service Student Eyes and Ears for University Safety, or SEEUS, which provides students with an escort to an on-campus destination. Reach SEEUS at 734-487-3387, and find hours and more information online.
In case of emergency, the EMU police can be reached at 734-487-1222 or by dialing 911 on campus. DPS is located at 1200 Oakwood St., Ypsilanti.
