Women have an intuition that allows them to stay out of harm’s way, and a workshop Wednesday night showed women how to hone that talent.

Students gathered for a workshop titled “Women’s Intuition” in the Effingham Room of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

The workshop for women wanting to reduce their chances of being harmed, assaulted, raped or worse, educated students on manipulative strategies and techniques used by predators as well as defense techniques.

“In television and movies, the common scenario of ‘guy-pursues-girl’ until she gives in and says ‘yes’ and they live happily ever after makes for good entertainment but is a problem when it comes to your personal life,” said David Onestak, director of the Counseling Center and speaker at the workshop.

Onestak showed students newspaper clippings of victims who were attacked at Eastern and passed around a packet of pictures of offenders from Charleston.

Onestak educated students on the strategies used by predators to establish privacy and control such as niceness and charm, typecasting, loan sharking, unsolicitated promises, refusing to hear “no” and alcohol and drugs.

“A common problem is believing niceness and charm equals goodness, but it doesn’t. It’s not a characteristic, it is a strategy or technique,” Onestak said.

Onestack told students to harden the target and reduce vulnerability; lock doors and windows, pay attention to your intuition, worry about being direct and not polite, watch each other’s back and don’t get “wasted.”

“If you’re alone, and the elevator door opens with a man on it, and you feel uncomfortable, follow your intuition,” Onestak said. “What is scarier, hurting their feelings or getting in a sound-proof steel chamber with them?”

To conclude, Onestak stressed the importance of not only women but men taking precautions when walking alone at night on campus.

He suggested to turn around and look directly in the person’s eye if you hear someone walking behind you to let them know you are taking notes for a police report.

If you are attacked, despite popular belief, the best spot to aim for is the eyes, not the groin, Onestak said.

“I was surprised and scared when he passed around a packet so thick of offenders from Charleston,” said Brandy Swift, a junior English major.

Other women thought it was a presentation they could apply to their life.

“I enjoyed the presentation and thought it was informative,” said Danah Sivik, freshman elementary education major. “My favorite part was his definition of B.I.T.C.H., or ‘Boys I’m Taking Control Here.'”