Brittany Braun

11/24/14
Womens Violence Awareness
WAUKESHA, Wis.- As a middle aged man draped in black from head to toe stood in front of the Carroll
University Stackner Ballroom, 25 young women simultaneously sat row by row to learn valuable
information from this mysterious looking man. Through many hands-on demonstrations and a formal
presentation, the women who filled the ballroom ended up walking away with vital tools in a whopping
60 minutes with advice that may come to their advantage one day.
On Saturday Nov. 15, Chris Connolly, a retired Waukesha Police Captain and current SWAT
Commander, instructed a self-defense class at Carroll and gave helpful tips to women on how to protect
themselves against violence and sexual assault.

On top of the physical aspect to self-defense, 90 percent of your protection comes from your
mind, Connolly stated.
When it comes to women defending themselves, society believes it only involves physical action;
however, the way an individual uses their mind is far more important in violence and sexual assault cases,
Connolly said. You have to be able to think outside the box in situations like these where stress is high. If
women go straight for fighting their aggressors off survival rates diminish, which is not the goal when it
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comes to self-defense. The goal is to get away safely using critical thinking skills, fighting should be your
last resort, Connolly said. To think critically in these circumstances you must create files in your brain, so
if you were ever put in one of these situations you could easily access the tools to survival and commit to
them, explained Connolly. The files involve three possibilities-running, hiding, or fighting. If you do not
use or remember these tactics you will lose them, Connolly repeated as he stressed the importance of
thinking critically when defending yourself.

This informative course taught by Captain Chris Connolly was hosted by the Chi Omega sorority
at Carroll University during a campus wide effort to bring awareness and prevention to the violence that
occurs against females in the Wisconsin area.

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In Waukesha, Wis. alone forcible rape occurs 312 times every 37 minutes, while aggravated
assault towards women occurs 972 times, Officer Mike Russell of the Waukesha Police Department
(Hyperlink) stated.

These types of attacks in regard to women are highly becoming more common in the Waukesha
area, explained Russell. Although there are many efforts to prevent these crimes by the Police Department
and community, the rates in which they happen are increasing. Having women take self-defense classes
though and informing them on this issue helps boost the survival rate of these attacks. If women are
taught how to protect themselves and how to smartly prepare for these possible situations, it is the
equivalent to the aggravated and sexual assault rates decreasing. This is why it is crucial to inform
everyone in the area about the seriousness of this issue and how to take action, Russell stated.
According to Future Without Violence, a non-profit Organization that brings awareness to the
serious matter of these crimes, 35 percent of women in one city alone will experience some sort of
violence or sexual assault (Hyperlink) in their lifetime. Although that may not seem like a lot, it is far too
high of a percentage to be happening against women.
When it comes to these incidents, I believe there is a very slight correlation between violence
and race, Kendra Brandenburg, Carroll University student stated.

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Although violence is targeted towards women in general, the factor of ones skin color plays a big
part in aggravated and sexual assaults. According to a spokesperson from the Bureau of Justice
(Hyperlink), black females have experienced more sexual assaults and aggravated battery from men at a
rate four times higher than white females.
Sexual assault and violence towards women is only a growing issue in the community as you can
see. Several student organizations on the Carroll University campus, such as Chi Omega and the Carroll
Players, are coming together as a university not only to raise awareness to violence against women; but to
also be proactive in their efforts to prevent these incidents.
Raising awareness is very important when it comes to violence, which is why we put together a
show every year and donate all our proceeds to multiple Womens shelters in the Waukesha area, Carroll
Player(Hyperlink) Steven Schauz said.
The Carroll Players have raised over $1,000 so far from a production they put on earlier this year.
All the money received from the musical ended up being donated to the Waukesha Womens Center
(Hyperlink) to help in the prevention of aggravated and sexual violence.
As a universal front these student organizations came together for the greater good of the
community by providing self-defense classes to students and by overall raising awareness to violence and
assaults in regard to women. It is the small efforts like these that make a bigger difference and can
generate change in the Waukesha Area.
As Chris Connolly mentioned in his self-defense class with the Chi Omega sorority and women
of Carroll University, you must always take action in every situation of your life. When you take action it
always beats the reaction of others. You must commit to protecting yourself and always act on that
commitment, Connolly advised.
If you are wondering now on how you, as an individual, can help bring awareness to the violence
against women in your community, all it takes are the slightest of efforts. Your first step could simply be
donating to a local womens shelter, such as the Waukesha Womens Center, which would help in the
funding to spread the word about this issue that is only rising in the community. You could also make
yourself knowledgeable and take a self-defense course. As Chris Connolly stated, remember to take

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action, even if it is a small effort dont a bystander, because if you dont use it, you lose it.

Keywords: Violence, Women, Assault, Self-Defense, Prevention, Awareness, Carroll University

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