As you plan your college’s first-year student programming, commit to giving young women and men critical messages that will challenge and motivate them to make your campus a healthier, safe place. We believe there is no better way to do that than to include our speaker STEVE KARDIAN in your programming.
Steve has spent his entire career in law enforcement and self-defense training. He appears almost weekly as a crime prevention and security consultant on CNN and its sister network HLN. He is also a contributor to USA Today, Sports Illustrated, and the New York Times.
In one memorable segment for Inside Edition (video, top right), Steve posed as a man lost on campus. An alarming number of young women he approached in a parking lot invited Steve and his hidden camera into their vehicles. It was a shocking report that demonstrated how often college women seek approval or an opportunity to be helpful, rather than look after their own safety.
In addition, we’ve all heard the statistic about one in four women experiencing sexual violence in her lifetime. But, did you know that a woman is most vulnerable to sexual assault entering her first year of college, between September and Thanksgiving?
It’s a statistic that motivates Steve as he travels to college campuses nationwide teaching women how to reduce the odds of becoming a victim. In his interactive workshops, he teaches young women proven strategies to put the odds in their favor.
Steve is happy to share with you what he believes are the best 5 ways young women can stay safe on campus:
1. Rely on the gift of intuition, trust your instincts.
If you feel that the guy is a creep, he likely is. If you feel that you are in danger, you likely are. Create and share a secret signal with your friends for when they should intervene if you’re in an uncomfortable situation.
2. Go to people, be with people.
Avoid being isolated or alone with strangers.
3. Have a plan.
Explore the “what ifs?” when you have a clear head and free time. Ask youself What do I do if someone tries to break into my dorm, someone is following me, someone is stalking me… Making decisions while under stress or duress is the worst time to make any type of decision.
4. Don’t accept a drink from someone you don’t trust your life with.
If you’re out having fun with your friends, watch the drink being poured or served, and remember, in some harmful situations, the bartender and predator sometimes act together. Date rape drugs are odorless, colorless and have very little taste. Alcohol is a major factor in the majority of sexual assaults – more than 70,000 college students are victims of alcohol related sexual assault each year.
5. Facebook, Twitter and MySpace
These are all wonderful social networking sources but they remain a stalkers dream. The college campus is a closed community and social networking sites are a tool the stalker uses to accomplish his/her desire. Try to use a different name other than your own as your log-in e-mail, think twice about listing your address and phone number and limit posts that announce you are alone in your dorm/apartment. More online safety tips can be found on Facebook.
“Women have the great gift of intuition; however, many times they set it aside and disregard their own rationality by not acting on their gut feeling,” Steve said.
With such a serious topic, people often expect Steve to be a very frightening speaker, full of fear and scare tactics. The opposite is true. Steve believes that the best strategy for women’s safety is to empower them. He gets his audiences laughing, talking, sharing, and understanding smarter ways to respond to unusual situations.
For more information about Steve and his self defense program, visit nydefendu.com.
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