by Lew Harris

Vanderbilt Security will offer a free self-defense seminar for University faculty, staff and students Saturday, Oct. 25, from 12:30-2:30 p.m. in the aerobics room on the second floor of the Student Recreation Center.

The seminar is being presented as part of the YWCA's Week Without Violence program, which runs from Oct. 19-25.

Vanderbilt Crime Prevention Officer Marlene Hall will conduct the seminar. She began holding such seminars in 1981, focusing primarily on sexual assault. Hall has updated the program over the years so that it now deals with such issues as robbery, sexual assault and domestic or dating violence. She estimates that she has conducted more than 300 such seminars since 1981.

"What we try to talk about are some very common sense points that anybody can follow," Hall said. "We talk about prevention, of course. That's what we want to do in the first place. Then we'll give some pointers on what to do if someone suddenly finds themselves in a confrontation.

"We can offer suggestions running the gamut from passive to more aggressive measures in handling a situation because we know everybody is different. They have different skills, different comfort zones and they're going to bump into different type of situations."

In addition to lecturing, Hall encourages open discussion. She then puts volunteer participants through self-defense drills. She will also show video clips.

Members of the University community interested in attending the seminar should call Hall at 322-2558.