Lady B.U.G.S. Strike

The safety of students on and off campus is a big deal here at Frostburg State University (FSU). FSU’s campus is guarded by an on-campus police station, whose officers patrol the campus, as well as the community surrounding it. Emergency buttons are also placed throughout the campus for student use. If at any time a student feels as though they are in danger, they are able to press one of the emergency buttons for an immediate police response.

Though students have these emergency resources, it is always a plus for them to be able to defend themselves in certain situations. On Friday, Nov. 9, 2018, the student organization Lady B.U.G.S. hosted a self-defense class. The president of the organization, Carmen Moore, said, “B.U.G.S. stands for building, uplifting, and guiding our sisters. Our mission here on campus is to help college aged women with their physical, mental, emotional, and academic well-being.”

Being a part of the Lady B.U.G.S., Moore said, “it’s helped me with leadership roles, which I enjoy, and learning how to communicate with others.” With hopes that the event would help empower the women here at FSU, Moore said, “I want to help them feel more safe and comfortable when they’re out on the streets. A lot of stuff has been going on, so if they just feel a little better about themselves, ‘like oh my gosh if something happens I can do this, that, and the other, and be able to think fast also,’ I’ll be fulfilled.”

To teach the class, the Lady B.U.G.S contacted Kick Masters Karate. Kick Masters Karate is a Tae Kwon Do based program that is located here in Frostburg, Md. The company offers programs such as Cardio Kick Boxing, Adult Self-defense Classes, Women’s Self-defense Seminars, and a Little Dragons program for kids ages four to six. Kick Masters Karate also hosts what they call “Bully Prevention/Youth Empowerment Day,” at which they educate people on how to prevent and protect themselves in the case of a bullying incident. They also teach non-violent solutions for every verbal bullying situation.

Tyler Dolchan and Aleks Knepper, who work at Kick Masters Karate, instructed the students of the self-defense class. Dolchan said, “we want to make everybody a little more aware of how to defend themselves, especially in this day in age with the stuff that’s going.”

Empowerment was the biggest influence of the self-defense class. Moore said, “we are about woman empowerment, but also making them feel more confident about themselves as young women, especially in America.” The instructors also wanted to make the women feel empowered. Dolchan said, “knowledge is empowerment, the more they know and the more they have in their toolbox, the better equipped they’re going to be for any situation that might happen.”

The Lady B.U.G.S’s self-defense class began at 4 p.m. and was held in the practice gym at the Cordts P.E. Center. Dolchan and Knepper taught the attendees of the class moves that they can use to defend themselves in the event of an emergency/attack. They also taught the women signs to look for in order to assess whether or not they may be in danger of being attacked.

By the end of the class, both the instructors and the Lady B.U.G.S had accomplished what they had set out to do. Sidonie Brown, a junior here at FSU, attended the class. Brown said, “it was fun. I felt like there were enough techniques where if I were in a situation where I’d need it, I would have options or a go to.”

The Lady B.U.G.S hope to continue empowering the women of FSU and encouraging them to be the best that they can be. To keep up with the Lady B.U.G.S and find out what they may be bringing to campus next, you can follow them on Twitter: @fsu_LADYBUGS. To learn more information about Kick Masters Karate you can go online to www.kickmasterskarate.com or contact them via phone: (888) 568-7104.