AU’s Panhellenic Council hosts security forum

Meredith Gaston has been on a personal quest for the past three years to make sure young women at Auburn University know how to defend themselves.

It was personally important for the Montgomery native after her sister was sexually assaulted. It became even more important after 18-year-old Auburn freshman Lauren Burk was murdered last week.

Wednesday night, Gaston got some help with her quest as Auburn Assistant Police Chief Tommy Dawson pleaded with about 2,500 sorority girls in Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum Wednesday night to listen to the advice from vigilance and anti-terrorism training consultant, Lt. Col. Michael “Moose” Moore.

As president of Auburn’s Panhellenic Council, Gaston, a junior, said the council had been organizing a self-defense class for all sorority sisters for about two months, but plans changed after Burk’s death.

Dawson, the police spokesperson in the Burk investigation, told them he was certain she wasn’t sexually assaulted because she fought back.

“Don’t let Lauren’s death be in vain,” he said. “Please, I beg of you.”

As a member of the Auburn family, Moore was shaken by the tragic death as well. The 1972 alumnus said he was in Auburn that night and heard the news the next day. Like Dawson, Moore pleaded with the female students to take their own safety seriously, as well as that of others.

“Auburn lost its innocence last week,” he said. “We’re not going to lose it again.”

Moore’s advice focused on acting quickly and loudly in the first moments of an attack.

“You are never faster, stronger or more alert than in the first 10 seconds of being scared,” he said.

He used members of his family to demonstrate escaping from an attacker. Any move that had the woman hitting her attacker in the groin area drew a laugh.

“The serious part of this is that it might have helped (Lauren),” Moore said. “You just don’t know.”

The event concluded with 18 seconds of silence for the 18 years Burk had lived.

“The greatest way for y’all to honor Lauren’s life is to look out for yourself and each other,” Gaston said.

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Class offerings

Two Rape Awareness Defense classes for female students, faculty and staff, as well as members of the Auburn and Opelika community, are being offered in April.

Session I will be held April 7, 9, 14 and 16 from 6 to 9 pm in room 2093 at Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum, and session II will be held April 22, 24, 29 and May 1 from 6 to 9 pm at the Opelika Recreation Center on Denson Drive in Opelika.

The classes are taught by certified RAD instructors, including officers from Auburn Police Division and Lee County Sheriff’s Office. Instruction covers risk reduction and risk awareness, as well as hands-on physical defense techniques.

Advance registration is required and the registration fee of $15 is payable in advance at the following locations: the Dean of Students Office in Foy Union, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office on Frederick Road in Opelika, and the Opelika Recreation Center on Denson Drive in Opelika. Space is limited.

Anyone with questions regarding the classes may e-mail Andrea Bartels at .