GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The University of Florida on Monday released an alert on its website indicating that a student had reported a rape, which occurred a fraternity house.
According to UF, the report was made to the Campus Security Authority (CSA). The incident occurred on the evening of Aug. 28 at an “unknown fraternity house.”
UF said the person who reported the rape declined to give any information about the identity of the assailant.
The news of the assault comes days after News4Jax reported that a UNF frat was expelled after a sexual assault investigation.
It’s upsetting to Brandon Hicks, a self-defense coach at 1780 Fitness and Martial Arts.
“We should be in a position where a girl or woman can go out to any party she wants to and be completely fine. Unfortunately, there are bad people out there and we have to be very conscious of this,” Hicks said.
The self-defense coach said it’s important for people to keep a close eye on their drink.
“There are people who might want to drug a drink or do something along those lines. It’s hard to stay safe in those environments,” Hicks said.
Tainting a drink with drugs or using drugs makes it that much easier for a person to physically take advantage of their victim. But Hicks says there are times when a woman is not under the influence and still a potential victim. This is when self-defense comes into play.
“We go to a closed quarters position. Strike the groin, strike the head. Push off and get out of there as fast as you can,” Hicks explained during a demonstration.
But not every assault involves only one attacker.
“Sometimes the simple reality is that you’re in an insurmountable situation. That’s why we practice those self-protection principles of not putting yourself in that position. And again, not victim blaming, but we have to be realistic about the world we live in and make sure we keep ourselves away from those kinds of environments and those kinds of people to minimize the risk we’ll face,” Hicks said.
Another piece of advice: Hicks said if you’re walking down the street at night and see a suspicious person coming your way, cross the street.
Hicks said a problem with mace or pepper spray is that when they are deployed they shoot everywhere and sometimes get in the eyes of the person who is spraying.