Today marks the beginning of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, butself awareness came years ago for Midge Marino.

A bus ride to high school in 1956 changed Marino’s lifewhen her driver, who had started a boys club, asked if any of thegirls would like to learn Judo with the club.

“Women just didn’t have these kinds of opportunityback then,” Marino said.

Marino didn’t know it then, but her life was to be definedby this first step. Marino, 65, a resident of Vacaville, is now aself-defense instructor on campus, and has been since 1971.

Marino didn’t start out to be a self-defense instructor,but had a passion for the martial art of Judo. She has studied themartial arts since she was a senior in high school, eventuallyearning her black belt in 1968 at the Kodokan Judo Institute inJapan, where the art of Judo originated.

It was after returning from Japan that Marino began teaching atthe San Juan and Sacramento Judo Clubs.

“Women would come to my classes and say, “I want toknow how to defend myself,'” Marino said. “And Iwould say, “Great, start taking Judo classes and in five tosix years you’ll be able to,’ and after a week or twothe women would drop leave.”

Marino said that although Judo is wonderful; it doesn’tspeak to the true issues of women because all of the martial artswere developed by men and are based on hand to hand combat.

She began to see that there was a need for women to know how toprotect themselves, which led her to become interested in thewomen’s studies movement that was beginning on campus, andstart what she called “experimental classes” in selfdefense at her clubs.

“I sat on the Woman’s Studies Board and began toreally learn about my own oppression as a woman,” Marinosaid.

In 1971, Marino was asked by the Women’s Center on campusto teach self-defense courses.

“They said “If we can get you the units, will youteach the class?,’ and I said absolutely,” Marinosaid.

The self-defense classes started as women only, but in 1972Title IX was amended to the educational policy. Title IX statesthat no person can be excluded from activities and recreations atfederally funded schools based on sex; this also meant that menwere allowed to join Marino’s self defense class.

Advocate and educator for the Women’s Resource Center,Jessica Heskin, said that Marino’s classes are an extremelyimportant tool for empowering women.

“It brings about the realities that women are attacked inour own culture,” said Heskin.

Bryce Difuntorum, senior and history major, is one ofMarino’s students who benefits from Title IX, although theclass is a little different than he thought it would be.

“I just needed to pick up a unit and I like self-defense,this class is really geared toward women though,” Difuntorumsaid. “But it is good to be prepared.”

Marino says that women have a need for self-defense classesprimarily because of our socialization, and because of the way menand women are raised differently women were unable to defendthemselves.

“Realizing this socialization factor changed the way Ideveloped my classes,” Marino said.

Tracy Broadley, freshman and criminal justice major, said thatshe feels more confident having taken self-defense classes in highschool, and is currently a student of Marino.

“You can walk with your head up knowing that you can takecare of yourself,” Broadley said.

Broadley also said that male friends of hers laugh and say thatit’s impossible for a girl to be physically able to beatthem. Broadley insists it’s not something she has to show offbut it’s good to know she has the ability should she everneed it.

“I’m not naïve, I have friends who say nothingwill happen, I’m not paranoid it’s realistic,”Broadley said.

The socialization factor refers to the different ways men andwomen are treated from a small age, and how we then live our livesbased on these stereotypes.

“You’re either born blue or pink,” Marinosaid. “If your born pink you have to give up the mostimportant thing in our life to the blues, the ability to protectourselves.

“You don’t see a female animal out in the wildsaying don’t hurt me &- no, they fight.” Marinosaid.

The preconceived notion Marino said is that if you’re awoman you can’t take care of yourself. Marino also said thatmen suffer the same disadvantage when it comes to things likecrying, a stereotypical female-only act.

“Really it’s not fair to men, and it’s notfair to women,” Marino said.

People were not all pleased with the new self-defense classes oncampus, including an event in 1985 when a student opened the doorand started yelling at Marino and her class.

“This young man just kept saying “What do you thinkyou’re teaching those girls’ and I told him to close thedoor,” Marino said.

The situation escalated and the young man was nearly expelledfrom school, Marino said.

Marino is also a certified Rape Crisis Counselor and has startededucating people in community and state agencies on the importanceof both socialization and self-defense.

“Finally I decided to start my own business going todifferent agencies and labor unions, and in the last three yearsI’ve gone international,” Marino said.

Marino said that it feels good to be able to go back to Japanand give back to the women of Japan.

“I feel like I’m completing the circle,”Marino said. “The people of Japan taught me Judo, and now Iam able to help the women there use it to their benefit, it isreally something I am proud of.”