Upcoming Dates:

• Summer Training Dates 2009- TBA

The Safe Zone Program @ East Carolina University is designed to create opportunities for our Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Students and their allies to contact volunteers from the ECU faculty and staff that have attended an additional training session on GLBT issues, in an effort to develop a more open and honest environment. 

Faculty and Staff Information

This is a volunteer program for ECU faculty and staff developed from the example of other colleges and universities.  Faculty and staff who volunteer will go through a afternoon of training and then receive resource materials and a Safe Zone card.  These cards will let students know that they can be open about being an gay, lesbian or bisexual without risk.  This is not to say that only people in the Safe Zone program can help gay, lesbian, or bisexual students, but it does open the door for students who might have concerns or special needs. This is a program for faculty and staff of any race, color, gender, sexual orientation, or background, who are open to supporting gay, lesbian and bisexual students.

Sign Up for the Program

To sign-up for the program Faculty and Staff will need to attend a 2.5 hour training session.  These sessions will be set up on a regular basis.  Faculty and Staff will be able to sign up for these training classes on the ECU Onestop Site. 

The training will consist of a panel of ECU students, information on local resources, and sharing expectations of the program.

If I Post This Sticker or Card, What Can I Expect? *

•   Affected students may self-censor their speech less, providing a more genuine and realistic exchange.
•   I will gain a fuller picture of students' lives and concerns.
•   I will make a personal contribution to improving the campus environment and the lives of its students.
•  Students and colleagues may be more at ease when sharing issues pertaining to my job and will anticipate a nonjudgmental attitude in my work.
•  I may never notice any difference in the interactions I have with colleagues and students, but I will make a difference.

• I will not have to become a counselor or expert, and I will not need to know answers to questions that do not pertain to my job.
•  I will not be the only contact on campus for gay, lesbian, or bisexual students.
•  I am not likely to hear intimate self-disclosures about people’s sex lives.
• Others will not necessarily assume that I am gay, lesbian, or bisexual.
•  I will not be expected to participate in political activities involving gay, lesbian, and bisexual issues.

• Don't assume that everyone is heterosexual.
• Avoid using terms like "boyfriend" and "girlfriend," try using "partner" or "spouse" instead.
• Review your office's publications. Suggest changes to remove non-inclusive language and to include pictorial representations of people who are gay, lesbian, or bisexual.
• Acquaint yourself with people who are gay, lesbian,or bisexual. Learn about the culture that is unique to the G/L/B community. Read books, make a friend, attend a talk or celebrate with them.
• Avoid homophobic remarks, jokes, and statements. As you feel conformable, confront these actions of hatred.
• Create an atmosphere of acceptance in your surrounding environment through education. Share your experience with others.
• Provide informed referral by learning the resources available to gay, lesbian, and bisexual people in your area and share the information.
• Learn the developmental process of coming out that is unique to the gay, lesbian, and bisexual experience.
• Join with gay, lesbian, and bisexual persons to protect their civil rights and constitutional freedoms.
• If you have identified your affectional feelings as gay, lesbian, or bisexual, consider coming out to others and work to provide a role model for students, faculty, and staff.