Night Students may now have a new tool for protecting themselves from assaults, with the help of self-defense classes, announced at the ASCC Senate meeting last Wednesday.

In addition, ASCC Vice President Alex Armendariz, he and Vice President of Student Services Stephen Johnson, have set up a time, but no dates in which both will patrol the campus, along with Cerritos Lieutenant Richard Bukowiecki to survey the areas with minimal lighting.

This is in response to concerns over student safety for students at night as well as cases in previous years of female students being sexually assaulted in dimly-light areas of campus.

Armendariz said afterward that students who take class at night will now have whistles and flashlights that will be available at the campus police and Commissioner of Daytime Activities Riley Schnitz is organizing the self-defense classes.

Schnitz could not be reached for comment and it is unknown when and where the classes would be held.

“Although the patrol of the campus is geared toward the safety of the night students,” Armendariz said, “the flashlight and whistle will be available to all students.”

Furthermore he said, “Those students who would like to call campus police for assistance to get to their cars or class may do so.”

Senator Krystle Gardner said that the self-defense classes were a good idea.

She said that now that she knows about the self-defense class that she hopes to encourage students by making announcements about the courses to students in her classes.

Gardner emphasized that although she does take a class at night, she doesn’t feel threatened or worried when she walks to class at night and that she feels safe on campus.

However, she said the idea of having self-defense classes was “cool.”