Utah State University’s Allies on Campus program announces upcoming training sessions for faculty, staff and students who wish to join their efforts in providing a “safe zone” on campus for people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered (LGBT).

Program founders LuAnn Helms and Elizabeth York said the program seeks to create a visible and supportive network for LGBT students. A related goal is to educate the campus community about how problems associated with homophobia and heterosexism can be reduced on campus, they added.

Six training seminars are scheduled during fall semester for people who wish to become “allies.” Each three-hour session includes information on issues, resources and referrals that can assist questioning students. Highlights of the training include discussions with a panel of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered students, as well as small breakout sessions where participants discuss responses to likely scenarios an ally might encounter.

Upon completion of training, participants sign an agreement to provide a “safe zone” for anyone dealing with sexual or gender orientation issues, said Helms, a psychologist in Utah State’s Counseling Center. She added that allies are not expected to act as professional counselors; rather their role is to provide support and information referral. Each ally also receives an Allies on Campus placard to display on their office door, as a visible sign of their training in LGBT issues.

Initiated in April 2004, Allies on Campus has trained about 40 allies and expects to train as many as 300 people in the coming year.

“I am very encouraged with the interest and support this program is generating across campus,” said Juan Franco, Utah State’s vice president for student services. “I believe this is an additional sign that the university is increasingly embracing inclusiveness and acceptance of differences on campus.”

York, associate professor of music and associate dean in the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, said she is gratified by the overwhelming positive response from faculty and staff. “Allies on Campus is obviously a program whose time has come,” she said.

Utah State’s program was developed from examples of allies, safe-zone or safe-place programs at other colleges and universities across the nation. Eighty percent of Utah State’s peer institutions have such programs, and the remaining 20 percent are developing similar networks, according to Helms.

“The concept of a safe zone may be especially appealing for students seeking a private way to connect with someone, especially if they fear being ‘outed’ or discriminated against in other settings,” she said.

People interested in participating in Allies on Campus training should contact Helms at lhelms@cc.usu.edu.