Alternative to tear gas
developed for securitv
By Betsy Grace
Of the Emerald
The threat of being attacked is nothing
new, but a recently developed product may
prevent an assault from occurring.
The Wolff Alert is a small cylindrical
canister that fits into a terry cloth wrist band.
When pressure is applied to its top, forced air
produces an ear-piercing blast. The athletic
type wrist band keeps the alert readily accessi
ble to one’s fingertips, unlike traditional
whistles or tear gas containers that are easily
dropped or misplaced says Rita Wolff, who
developed the product.
Wolff was looking for an alternative to tear
gas for assault prevention while jogging
because she was afraid of being overpowered
by her assailant and doused with the fumes
herself if she tried using it. She modified an
old ski sock to hold a whistle canister and felt
safer with that.
After tremendous response from her
friends, Wolff presented the device to a sports
company that researched the model and
received favorable reactions from field testers.
The Wolff Alert has gained the support of
Mary Ellen Johnson of the Yamhill County
Rape Victims Program. Johnson plans to show
the alert throughout the state, Wolff says.
“It's the only product of its kind that is
safe, legal, and can’t be used against the vic
tim,” Wolff said.
In addition to providing assault protec
tion, the Wolff Alert can be used by children or
hikers to call for attention when they are lost or
in trouble, Wolff says. The whistle will blast
up to 60 times before it loses its pressure.
Wolff recently received a testimonial of
the alert’s effectiveness. “A Portland dentist
gave one to his nurse and she used it while jog
ging to frighten off a vicious dog,” Wolff says.
Although Capt. Oakley Glenn of the
University’s Campus Security has not had
direct experience with the Wolff Alert, he says
his officers would respond to its sound.
“Basically, anything that will help (in bat
tling the problem of assualt) we’re for,” Glenn
says.
But often times people fail to use protec
tion products consistently, or else they take on
a false sense of confidence, he adds.
“Any time you have more than one person
together you have a much safer situation,”
Glenn says.
Nadia Telsey, director of Eugene’s Rape
Crisis Network, says that widespread familiari
ty is what makes safety devices such as the
Wolff Alert beneficial. “If you organize around
them so entire dorms know the sound and will
assist or summon help, you have greater effec
tiveness,” she says.
The University Bookstore received the
first shipment of Wolff Alerts in January.
Bookstore employee, Stacy Miller, says several
have sold despite a lack of advertising. Priced
at $9.98, the Wolff Alert sells for about half the
cost of a tear gas product called Chemstop,
also carried at the bookstore.
Rita Wolff and her husband Jeffery are
marketing the whistles from their home in
Newberg, Ore. and hope to distribute them
nationally.
Religious studies interest rises
By Kirsten Bolin
Of the Emerald
With class subjects ranging
from Japanese Buddhism to
Western Christianity, the
University’s Department of
Religious Studies is celebrating
its 50th anniversary this year,
reflecting a trend toward in
creasing interest in religious
studies.
The department, which has
only four professors, is the se
cond oldest of its kind among
state institutions in the country.
It was founded in the 1934-35
academic year as a non-major
department with one professor.
Since then, the program has
expanded and evolved to meet
the changing needs of the
University’s student body, says
department head Hee-Jin Kim.
Currently, 10 to 15 students
major in religious studies each
year, many going on to teach or
join a graduate program at
another university.
Trends in religion, such as
the 1960s fascination with
Oriental religions and the cur
rent interest in Christianity, are
explored by the department’s
small staff.
“We want to offer a balanced
program so we can deal with
whatever society has to offer,”
says Jack Sanders, professor of
biblical studies. College-age
students are more likely to be
professing religion now than
they have for the last 20 years
Sanders says.
But having a religious affilia
tion is not an important or even
a common prerequisite among
students currently taking
classes, he adds.
“It’s not necessary to be
religious to study religion. It’s
an ideal way to understand our
society as well as others,” he
say 8.
The religious studies depart
ment has experienced steady
enrollment increases in its
courses as well as increases in
the number of courses offered,
all of which contribute to the
continuing success of the
department, Kim says.
Students take religion courses
in an effort to understand life’s
values and purposes, says G.
Douglas Straton, philosophy of
religion and ethics professor.
“Students are interested in
large subjects and seek connec
tions between religion and
other areas,” Straton says.
He credits the religious
studies faculty with helping
students to reach their own con
clusions without giving them
concrete answers.
Religious studies courses ex
amine the history and
philosophy of the world’s
religions as well as their
origins, and rituals.
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