The University of Connecticut Police Department has opportunities for students to learn about self defense at no cost through 12-hour open enrollment courses or a short demo class.
The programs train both men and women in basic self defense techniques and offer strategies when confronted with violence. They are offered throughout the academic year at no charge for students and during the summer and winter breaks for staff and faculty.
Police Sgt. Justin Cheney, who is one of the self defense instructors, explains they try to offer at least one class for students in the fall and spring semester, with the intention to offer another if the time and interest allows.
Currently, they are hosting a women’s self defense class called Surviving Violent Encounters, which educates women about defensive strategies. Cheney said these strategies range from physical skill sets to situational awareness, survival mindset and visual techniques.
This class is currently full. However, Cheney said they have also done additional open enrollment classes and offered customized classes for clubs and organizations on campus that are interested.
“We really try to dive in and talk a lot about situational awareness, survival mindset, utilizing visual techniques and strategies to make yourself more prepared and ready to take on whatever you may face in the real world,” Cheney said.
There are also men’s self defense classes that are offered throughout the semester if there is interest. Cheney said the men’s class focuses more on physical components of self dense and de-escalation skills.
“If we have a group of at least eight to 10, maybe even 12 to 15 folks that are interested in taking a men’s class together, then we will be glad to host the course,” Cheney said.
If we have a group of at least eight to 10, maybe even 12 to 15 folks that are interested in taking a men’s class together, then we will be glad to host the course,
Police Sgt. Justin Cheney, officer and self defense instructor.
The mens and women’s courses are 12 hours and it is split up amongst four, three hour courses. The class sizes are generally between 20 and 25 students.
Cheney said it is usually himself and two to three other officers that teach the course, but they have used other university safety personnel in the past.
There are also individual demo classes that anybody can request any time. The class is one hour long and provides a shortened version of the full 12 hour class. Cheney said they have done demo classes for clubs, sports teams and organizations each year.
“So you kind of get a sneak peak of what the full program would be, and sometimes that is a little bit more manageable for students,” Cheney said. “We understand that students right now are really starting to get into their spring semester and it is really difficult to spare anytime especially for a class that you are not getting credit for.”
In addition to those classes, Cheney noted that they offer a program called We Stand Up— Men Preventing Violence against Women, which is designed to teach men how to safely intervene in bystander situations where violence may be occuring. Cheney said that over the past few years, they have seen more interest from groups of men, whether they are a part of a team or fraternity, that want to take the class.
Cheney said he has been a part of the self defense program since he was hired in 2015.
“I have done a lot of work with the program. We have adapted along the way and added things that we feel the 2024 college student could really benefit from,” Cheney said.
Any questions or inquires about the self defense program can be directed to justin.cheney@uconn.edu