Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity hosted a women’s self-defense class on the night of Oct. 10 at the Simon Rec Center. The class was offered as part of the fraternity’s Philanthropy Week and was a departure from events the fraternity has held in the past.
The fraternity worked with The Ali Kemp Educational Foundation this year, whereas “in the past we’ve worked for Youth AIDS, which is a good goal but intangible,” said sophomore Andrew Melson, one of the chairs of Philanthropy Week. “People don’t really have a connection with it. We felt this hits a little closer to the college community.”
TAKE was founded in memory of Ali Kemp, a Kansas State college student who was raped and murdered while working at her community pool in 2002. The mission of the foundation is to educate women on how to protect themselves in the case of an attack.
“We felt the self-defense class was a good way to supplement the ideals of the foundation,” Melson said. The class was offered for free to female Saint Louis University students, and the event received a large turnout.
Reasons for attending the class seemed to follow a common theme regarding SLU’s urban environment.
“St. Louis is not a very safe city, and I live in Reinert, so I have to walk home at night,” said freshman Anastasia Kemp, who is unrelated to Ali Kemp.
Junior Laura Fraser expressed a similar sentiment, saying, “It’s just a really great idea. In general, it’s good to be prepared, but especially in St. Louis.”
The class was taught by instructors from St. Louis Self Defense and Fitness, a self-defense school located in Brentwood. During the two-hour class, the women were trained in maneuvers that should help them in various attack situations. The skills taught were straightforward and focused on utilizing the natural reactions one would have in the various situations.
Although practicing the moves was done in a fun atmosphere, the instructors emphasized that these were moves that could save one’s life. After the women had practiced the moves with each other, sophomore Rob McGrail suited up in full padding and gave the women the opportunity-for a dollar-to use the maneuvers full-force on him.
Instructors Mike Diamond and David Barrs had some words of advice for the women of the class.
“Get some type of training and always have a plan. It’s better to know what to do and not need it, than to not know it and need it,” said Diamond.
Barrs had similar advice, expressing the importance for women to “educate themselves and take the initiative to find a place to learn these methods.”
The main thing the instructors said that they hoped the women would take away from the class is an awareness of self and their surroundings.
“We hope they’ll take away the attitude that they’ll never be a victim,” said Diamond. At least one of the women in attendance left with this confidence.
“I definitely feel like I could beat up some guy now,” said Kemp.
St. Louis Self Defense and Fitness will be hosting a women’s self-defense seminar at its school on Saturday, Nov. 3, from 1 to 4 p.m. The cost for the seminar is $40, but SLU women receive a 10 percent discount if they mention Wednesday’s class and show their SLU ID.
