SUU Maintains Partnership with the Elizabeth Smart Foundation to Offer Self-Defense Classes to Students
Published: November 19, 2024 | Author: Jacob Carr | Read Time: 1 minutes
Southern Utah University (SUU) is continuing to partner with the Elizabeth Smart Foundation (ESF) to offer Smart Defense™ self-defense classes to students. This one-credit course will again be offered this coming semester, Spring 2025.
The Elizabeth Smart Foundation is a Utah-based nonprofit organization that seeks to confront sexual violence through various initiatives including the Smart Defense™ program. This program has helped to develop community self-defense classes throughout Utah, Idaho, and Colorado. In 2022 SUU became the first university to adopt this program for students.
“This training reinforces our commitment to student safety and well-being,” said SUU President Mindy Benson when first announcing this partnership. “It equips students with invaluable skills, strength, and confidence that will benefit them in their college life and beyond.”
Smart Defense™ classes held at SUU have set a precedent for student safety at universities throughout Utah and communities extending throughout the region. SUU and the Department of Kinesiology and Outdoor Recreation hope to see students continue to take advantage of these classes and for more classes and initiatives of this sort to be adopted around the country.
Students who wish to register for Smart Defense™ classes in the Spring 2025 semester may register for Physical Education 1400 - Self-Defense through their mySUU portals.
Community Smart Defense™ classes are available in Salt Lake City, Utah; Provo, Utah; Herriman, Utah; St. George, Utah; Colorado Springs, Colorado; and Pocatello, Idaho. For more information on Smart Defense™, visit www.elizabethsmartfoundation.org/smart-defense.
If you or a loved one has been affected by sexual violence, the National Sexual Assault Hotline, operated by RAINN, is available at 800.656.HOPE or via live chat at www.rainn.org. Communication is available 24/7, confidential, and free of charge.Tags: College of Health Sciences Campus Student Exercise Science
Contact Information:
Brooke Heath
435-586-5400
brookeheath1@suu.edu