Jessica Hernandez
Emergency Preparedness
NC State’s location in the heart of Raleigh provides plenty of exciting opportunities for students. However, living in a big city comes with its drawbacks. With higher levels of crime in cities than in suburban areas according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, members of the NC State community must take the necessary precautions to keep themselves safe.
Real World Safety is a new program by the NC State Crime Prevention unit that teaches situational awareness, threat assessment and basic combative skills so the Wolfpack has the knowledge it needs to stay safe.
The program was brought to the university by Crime Prevention Officer Murray Gibson and is scheduled to fully begin this fall. Unlike other safety courses offered at NC State, Real World Safety focuses on prevention strategies to reduce the risk of threatening situations.
“We didn’t have anything that was really geared towards situational awareness of a brain,” Gibson said. “This actually gives us sort of a plan of things to look for.”
The program is taught over two days and covers four main areas of instruction, including physiological responses to stressful situations, threat assessment, social conditioning and basic combative strategies. Gibson said the social conditioning portion of the program is especially interesting.
“We’re taught certain societal rules that we follow, and unfortunately some of these things that we’re taught can work against us if we’re faced with a predatory threat,” Gibson said. “In the program, we talked about how, if you feel like you’re being threatened or you just have that funny feeling in your stomach, it’s okay to be rude to another person. A person’s safety is much more important than hurt feelings.”
Gibson also emphasized the importance of being aware of your surroundings as a strategy to staying safe, something that is also highlighted in the course.
“I think one of the things that I see as a big problem on campus is that we’re not nearly aware enough of our surroundings,” Gibson said. “Now that I’m in the role of sort of an educator in terms of safety, I wanted to develop a program like that.”
While the program does not start till next fall, those interested are encouraged to email crimeprevention@ncsu.edu for updates on session dates. In the meantime, students are encouraged to attend one of the Police Department’s Rape Aggression Defensive (R.A.D.) program sessions which is an intensive three-day course on self-defense for women.
Different from the Real World Safety program, R.A.D. teaches higher-level combative strategies including defense stances, striking, blocks, kicks and other ways to use the body as a weapon against dangerous situations. While it was put on hold due to COVID-19, sessions have returned and are tentatively scheduled for each month at the NC State Police Department. The next sessions will be held on April 11, 13 and 15 from 6-8 p.m.
Sergeant Carl D’Agostino, community engagement supervisor for crime prevention and R.A.D. instructor said the program highlights the idea.
“If you minimize the opportunity, you can minimize the risk to yourself,” said D’Agostino.
No matter which program students choose, both options provide valuable information and are open to anyone affiliated with NC State.
“It’s not just about keeping safe here at NC State, but it’s about staying safe throughout your life,” Gibson said. “This is something that is kind of foundational in terms of safety, and I also believe that no matter what training you’ve had, getting more training is always valuable.”
Those interested in either program should contact the Crime Prevention office at crimeprevention@ncsu.edu for session dates. For other safety-related concerns or questions, see the NC State police department website.