Members of Students Administrators & Faculty for Equality are providing a safe talking space for LGBT students and an education for those who would like to learn more about the community.

S.A.F.E. will conduct a two-hour training seminar for those interested in becoming S.A.F.E. certified allies. The next campus-wide S.A.F.E. trainings will be held on Feb. 9 at 2 p.m., 4:30p.m., and 7p.m. The sessions will be held in the Lake Michigan room of the Oakland Center.

Those interested are required to only attend one session.

A facilitator runs the training. There are three to six student panelists who share their stories, specifically, of the adversities they’ve faced.

“It puts a solid face to the label,” Zac Willockx, a sophomore psychology major and member of S.A.F.E., said.

The facilitator also discusses general information surrounding the LGBT community, specifically speaking about definitions and common mis conceptions with the acronym.

According to Willockx, panelists make it a point to go over the most commonly used terms such as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, asexual and queer/questioning.

“It can’t be perfect with a community that’s always changing,” Willockx said.

Allies learn how to support members of the LGTB community in a myriad of ways. They learn how to help those who may not have come out yet and connect students to resources that extend beyond OU.

Trainees are also taught boundaries within conversation. Panelists discuss commonly used derogatory terms and phrases that may be offensive to members of the LGBT community, “that’s so gay,” being one of the most common.

“The training helps give a message of support out into the public,” Willockx said.

All in all, the training provides support for the silenced and unfamiliar.

“Knowledge is really power,” Mark Martinez, a sophomore linguistics major and S.A.F.E. ally said. “The silent ones tend to be the ones who are ignored.”

For more information about the training sessions, contact Grace Wojcik at 248-370-2400.