Sigma Sigma Sigma sponsors self-defense class
The most common pressure points for women to use to protect themselves are across the face.
About 20 sorority women learned those pressure points Sunday in the Student Activity Center for a self-defense class sponsored by Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority.
East Jordan junior Jenaye Chew got the idea for the event after her mom took the class in Detroit.
“Being from a small town, I have a false sense of security and I always feel safe when I probably shouldn’t,” Chew said. “I want people to feel like they can be safe here on campus and Mary said people leave these classes feeling empowered and confident.”
Mary Weir has been practicing martial arts for three-and-a-half years and has been certified to teach self-defense for four months.
Weir advised the women attending to always go with their gut instinct.
“We, as women, have that intuition that lets us know when a situation isn’t right,” Weir said. “It’s okay to be rude and to be paranoid; it’s better to be paranoid than to be dead.”
Dearborn senior Samantha Migiel said she attended the class because she thinks it is very important for women to be able to defend themselves.
“We are all put in those instances where we’re going to be walking alone through campus or a parking lot and we should be able to protect ourselves,” Migiel said.
Weir said self-defense does not mean the victim is stronger than their opponent.
“There is a sexual assault in the United States every two minutes,” Weir said. “There is a way to be safe and defending yourself is not about being stronger or overpowering your attacker.”
Weak spots
The class focused on utilizing a person’s pressure points to hurt them long enough to escape an attack.
Attendees were paired off and were able to practice what they were being taught on each other.
Marshall freshman Kimber Tarkiewicz said she was amazed at all the different pressure points on a person’s body.
“I never knew there were so many that could affect someone that badly,” Tarkiewicz said.
Weir took some time to answer questions and also debunked myths many of the women attending said they believed were true.
“If you jam a palm into the attacker’s nose, it does not shove that bone into their brain and they die — that’s a myth,” Weir said.
Though this class was geared toward sorority women, Chew said she would not mind doing the class again with Sexual Aggression Peer Advocates for all campus women.
“Depending on the feedback, I may try to do it again next semester. And SAPA is about speaking out, so it would be nice to do it with them,” Chew said.
