Sue Cooper and Theo Coney, DPS crime prevention officers, co-taught Tuesday's class. These free classes are offered several times each semester, Cooper said.,”A free Department of Public Safety self-defense class was held Tuesday night in the wake of a special campus safety alert regarding two at-large robbery suspects.

Sue Cooper and Theo Coney, DPS crime prevention officers, co-taught Tuesday's class. These free classes are offered several times each semester, Cooper said.

According to Cooper, the self-defense classes, which began in 1993, used to only be done upon request for larger student groups as well as for groups of employees.

However, last spring, DPS decided to start holding five or six open sessions each semester, Cooper said.

"We usually get a really good mix of students and employees at these open sessions," Cooper said. "The open sessions are great, because while some students may not be involved in student organizations, this is important information for everyone to know."

The sessions concentrate on teaching straightforward techniques that focus on escaping from an attacker and going to a safe place.

Marcia Lee, a first-year student in the College of Professional Studies, said this was her first self-defense class.

"I chose to come tonight because I feel that as a woman, it's very important to have an understanding of ways to defend myself if necessary," Lee said. "It's definitely important to have that sense of empowerment."

Lauren Miller, a sophomore in the College of Engineering, also attended the session.

"I'm a (resident assistant), so I came here with one of my residents," Miller said, adding that she initially became interested in the program after a girl from her high school was attacked this past summer.

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