With such a beautiful and well-kept campus, it’s easy to forget that Santa Rosa Junior College is open to anyone. Many students come here straight from high school, where campuses are controlled and protected but SRJC is open to people of all ages from a variety of cultures and backgrounds—even registered sex offenders.
The recent alleged rape on campus is a reminder that all students, faculty and administrators, need to continually work together to ensure each other’s safety.
SRJC student Jeanie Schnider said she would put in more lights on the campus to make the campus safer for students and faculty. “It’s pretty dark a lot. I don’t park in the garage, I park by the campus market because there are a lot of people around. I always make sure I have someone to walk with,” Schnider said.
In an email to all students in response to the rape, SRJC President Frank Chong outlined the steps he would take to maintain the health and safety of the college community (see sidebar). During a recent visit to the Oak Leaf, Dr. Chong mentioned he feels the campus is too dark at night and said the administration would be looking in to increasing lighting. “The best thing we can do is be vigilant about our surroundings. We’re an open community, and I want to maintain that, but I want to make it safe,” Dr. Chong said.
The most effective way to prevent sexual assault is to increase awareness on an individual level. By taking a few simple precautions, a person can greatly reduce the risk of finding himelf or herself in a vulnerable situation. Proper self-defense training can prepare a person to face that situation if it does occur.
“I know a number of people who have successfully fought off a would-be rape, because they just didn’t stop fighting. And then in retrospect they realized, riding their bike, 6 a.m. no one around, going to work, earphones in their ears, not being aware of their surroundings—they just fell into pattern. A predator saw them, saw their pattern and knew when to attack,” said Juan Fogal, proprietor of Family Martial Arts Center in Santa Rosa.
Fogel has been teaching practical self-defense for 27 years. Fogal said that human predators, like predators in the wild, are not looking for a challenge, they’re looking for an opportunity. They often watch for people who are alone and not paying attention to their surroundings.
“The first part is, don’t act like prey. The second part is, when it’s on, be prepared. I can’t go into specific techniques, because there are too many variables, but what I will say is to never stop. Keep fighting. If you’re loud, you will draw attention to yourself. Someone will hear it and even if they are too scared to help, they will pick up the phone.”
Sidebar:
Self Defense Classes:
Family Martial Arts Center is Tesconi Circle in Santa Rosa. Proprietor and Black Belt, Master Instructor in Taekwondo and Budo Taijutsu, Juan Fogal has been teaching martial arts and self-defense for about 27 years.
Fogal’s eight-week self-defense course, specifically designed for addressing sexual assault situations, shows students powerful strikes and kicks, pressure points, ground defense techniques and how to defend against knife attacks.
The class costs $160 in advance or $25 per week. (707)528-4910, or visit: http://www.myfamilymartialarts.com/
Sidebar:
SRJC Pres. Frank Chong’s campus safety plan:
1. Offer free and confidential counseling to all students and employees who need support counseling as a result of this incident
2. Offer workshops to our college community about maintaining personal safety
3. Implement an immediate internal review of the after-hours security of all college facilities.
4. Update our college website on safety (http://www.santarosa.edu/administration/college-safety/) with important recommendations and suggestions for personal safety and awareness
