Ask Annie: Practical Self-Defense Tips
This is the advice from a student who writes for the school paper. I don't expect a journalism student to be an expert on the subject, but there are some pretty glaring misconceptions in the piece. Some of the statements by the Associate Director of Campus Safety illustrate how the policy makers limit their liability by sacrificing your safety.

While the best ways to defend yourself probably include taking a self-defense class, walking in a group at night, and being alert, there are many types and varieties of self-defense weapons on the market. By no means do I suggest that you go out and arm yourself.

Sigh. There is nothing wrong with any of these suggestions but armed self-defense trumps unarmed pretty much every day of the week.

First and probably most practical, noisemakers are an easy and useful self-defense device. As you may have guessed, they are perfectly legal at Trinity College and in the state of Connecticut. A loud noise will alert others of your potential assault and may also scare your attacker away. What's more, you can put them conveniently on a keychain or lanyard. Noisemakers are sold everywhere. You can get them online or in a retail store. They come in all sorts of volumes, intensities, and varieties. Some noisemakers are electric and some are human-propelled. A good-quality standard whistle, if it is loud enough, always works.

A whistle, personal alarm, or "noisemaker" is a passive tool. The attacker has to elect to stop the assault. You can only expect this to work if the attacker isn't very motivated or is too far away to effect it's operation.

Another common weapon is a knife... A blade is a very serious weapon, and I wouldn't recommend carrying one for self-defense.

Serious situations call for serious measures, because sometimes the silly measures don't work. (see the comment above.)

Your attacker probably knows more about knives than you about knives, is more likely to use it and may be able to easily turn the weapon around on you. Also, for a knife to be effective, the user has to employ specific placement and technique.

Sigh. Why does everyone assume that the attacker is always some kind of Ninja? Taking a knife away from someone who is willing to cut you with it is non-trivial. Even if you are a ninja. For a knife to be effective the technique is to place the sharp part specifically against any part of the bad guys anatomy and cut. If that didn't seem to work then do it again.

In the state of Connecticut, knives are legal with the exception of switchblades, and knives with blades over four inches long. However, on Trinity campus, knives are not allowed, period. The philosophy is that you should not be defending yourself with a knife because they are not a practical defense weapon for college students. Associate Director of Campus Safety Christopher Lyons said, "There is no valid excuse for having a knife on campus." If you are caught with a knife, you will get into trouble and the Dean of Students will be notified.

So the policy trumps the law? Unless the college has some extra-legal status (I don't know) it isn't illegal to have a knife, it's just against the rules (assuming it is within the states legal limits). A knife is a perfectly practical defense weapon and has been since man has been able to nap flint. If you need a valid excuse for having a knife tell them you are a Sikh.

Taser Guns, probably the most serious and intense self-defense tools, are definitely not allowed on campus, although they also are legal in Connecticut. On campus, a taser gun is considered a firearm, and if caught with one on campus you will probably be expelled. These are no joke. They are also really expensive.

Firearms are generally considered the most serious, but I can't speak for their "intense-ness." Tasers are generally considered less force than grappling and striking people, so to group them in with firearms is a stretch. The police can taser you for refusing to put your hands behind your back, but they can't shoot you for it. I have said before that I don't think Tasers have much of a role for private citizens as a self defense tool, but this article is way off base.

Lyons said, "Refrain from buying any of that stuff; you don't need it on campus. I wouldn't suggest anybody carrying anything."

Spoken like a policy maker who doesn't work nights and walk to his car in the dark. Get a flashlight, get some pepper spray, get a knife, get some training, stay alert and stay out of trouble.

A quick aside, from the wikipedia link above about the Sikh dagger:
... This injunction was primarily in order to protect the weak from tyranny and slavery, to maintain a state of harmony and security, to allow for the free development of trade, craftsmanship, arts & literature and to safeguard and protect the universal right of all beings to live their lives in a peaceful, stable and sheltered environment.
The kirpan has both a physical function, as a defensive weapon, as well as a symbolic function. Physically it is an instrument of "Ahimsa" or non-violence. The principle of ahimsa is to actively prevent violence, not to simply stand by idly whilst violence is being done. To that end, the kirpan is a tool to be used to prevent violence from being done to a defenseless person when all other means to do so have failed. Symbolically, the kirpan represents the power of truth to cut through untruth. It is the cutting edge of the enlightened mind.

Contrast that with the views of the Associate Director of Campus Safety. Sounds like the Sikhs have a better plan.