When University of Massachusetts student Diane Coles was a freshman, she was apprehensive of what was in store for her.

“When you’re entering into a new environment where there are all different people you do not know what could happen,” said Coles. “I’m a female and I am small, so if a situation came up I didn’t know how I would defend myself.”

To help female students like Coles cope with the adjustment to a large population on a campus of this size, UMass offers a class to help women prepare and feel confident for the worst situations.

Detective Lisa Kidwell is a 19-year police veteran at UMass and has been the coordinator of the Rape Aggression Defense System (RAD) for 15 years and counting. The class is offered to any women who would like to participate, and is not limited to students or University employees.

RAD is a four-day program. In the first class, students hear an overview on safety and how to practice it. The second and third day includes learning self-defense skills, and participants learn several physical techniques to prepare themselves for various situations. On the final day, the students are put to the test and must perform their actions on an attacker provided by the class.

“I took the RAD class because my freshman year I had been in situations where I had felt uncomfortable,” Coles said. “I regret that I did not take RAD sooner; instead I was in a bad situation that led me to make the decision to enroll in RAD.”

Coles isn’t the only student to speak up and do something to prevent violence on the UMass campus. UMass junior Matt Ellis said he intervenes when he hears acts of violence towards women, most of which are negative or derogatory comments.

“I do always try to intervene if I hear something that is disrespectful or in bad taste. I feel the need to step in because there’s really no reason for these comments to be made,” Ellis said. “I do not make comments that are inappropriate to women as they are just that, inappropriate. There’s no reason to discriminate based on someone’s gender.”

Kidwell believes that UMass is a safe campus. But with the University’s undergraduate and graduate population totaling over 27,000, she said that violence does occur here and students need to take action when it does.

“I think the reason [violence] happens is because people are either unwilling or afraid to step up and say that what is happening is wrong when they witness an incident,” said Kidwell.

“Being a passive bystander is the biggest problem with violence of any kind,” she added. “If you witness something that is wrong, address the person, call them out on their actions. If people witness acts of violence yet turn a blind eye and say nothing they accept that behavior with their failure to act.”

Sometimes the effects of violence go beyond a physical act. According to the essay “The Costs and Consequences of Violent Behavior in the United States,” victims of acts of violence “experience a wide variety of physical and emotional consequences, often leading to social and academic difficulties.”

The results of violence have led some women to feel down about themselves and for some, it shapes the way they live their lives.

“To guys it’s all fun and games but to girls it’s uncomfortable and offensive,” said junior Alexa Shanahan. “If a girl is insecure one never knows how such hurtful comments may affect her attitude or life,” she said.

To take action in preventing violence from happening to her, Coles took the RAD class and now feels confident to fight back and stand up for herself next time she is in a situation where she doesn’t feel at ease.

“Walking around alone at night on a campus as big as UMass can be really uncomfortable,” Coles said. “After taking RAD I received the confidence I needed.”

Kidwell hopes that in the future UMass will have ways to help students feel more comfortable both on campus and in standing up for themselves when they are in situations of both physical and emotional violence.

“The campus should have more bystander training on how to intervene and what to do when you witness violence,” Kidwell said.

Amy Chaunt can be reached at [email protected].