Safe Zone News
IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY "SAFE ZONE" PROGRAM WINS AWARD FROM INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION
The "Safe Zone" program, a 1-1/2 year old initiative of the Iowa State University's Lesbian Gay Bisexual & Transgender Student Services (LGBTSS), has been awarded the Ally Development Award by ACUI, the Association of College Unions International. This award was announced at ACUI's annual spring meeting in Dallas.
In presenting the award on behalf of ACUI, Jeff Hoffman of Indiana University and Ed Stansell of Emory University sited that Safe Zone set a standard fore other programs to be measured against.
"We are thrilled that the Safe Zone project is being honored by such a prominent organization," said Stacie Kagan, coordinator of LGBTSS, a unit of the Dean of Students Office. "While we know that we have positively impacted many lives at ISU, we have also worked hard to gain campus recognition and have met with mixed results, so this international recognition means a lot."
W. Houston Dougharty, associate dean of students and co-founder of the project, said that "this outstanding honor from ACUI will help LGBTSS add to the goal of national recognition which Student Affairs Vice-President Hill has set for us all. This is a phenomenal feather in the cap of our Student Affairs division."
The nomination of the program to ACUI was prompted by Eric Yarwood, program advisor in the Memorial Union (MU). "When Maryjo Mertens (executive director of the MU) forwarded the call for nominations to me, I knew the Safe Zone project was perfect for this award," he said.
The Safe Zone project, which raises awareness, visibility, and support for LGBT members of the ISU community, has distributed over 2,500 stickers and 600 key chains, and has presented educational programs to hundreds of students, faculty, staff, and community members. The program was launched in November, 1997, with funding from a Professional & Scientific Council grant. Since then, over $1,150 in private donations has been received to sustain the project.
Nancy Evans, associate professor of Educational Leadership & Policy Studies, has completed a year long ethnographic study of the program's impact on the Iowa State campus, finding that it has had an overwhelmingly positive effect on the campus climate. "The program has achieved just what its original grant mandated, making Iowa State a campus where more LGBT students, staff, and faculty will be accepted and successful," she said.
Professor Evans, Dougharty, and two student researchers, Julie Nelson and Curt Lund, have presented about the implementation and evaluation of "Safe Zone" to five regional and national audiences, as well as on campus.
More information on the award winning Safe Zone program can be found at the following websites or by contacting LGBT Student Services at 515-294-5433.
