On Friday, September, 8, Joanne Quinn (Director of Communication & Marketing) and I (Kallie Stahl, Communication & Marketing Specialist) attended a Safe Zone Training in Bartley Hall. As expressed on their website, The Safe Zone program, sponsored by VU Pride and Student Life, provides “safe spaces on campus that are highly visible and easily identifiable to all people as spaces where support and understanding are assured.”

Preparing to become a Safe Zone volunteer, Joanne and I attended a 90-minute training session, with workshops led by Dr. Eloise Berry, Director, Office of Intercultural Affairs; Kevin Grubb, Executive Director, Career Center; and Dr. Frank Arricale, Staff Psychologist, Holloway Counseling Center. Throughout the sessions, we reflected on personal experiences that shaped our identities, acknowledged our self –awareness, and developed techniques for active and mindful listening.

After completing our training, we arrived back to Falvey Memorial Library and posted the Safe Zone symbol on the windows outside of our office. The Library has many Safe Zones and volunteers that offer a safe place for students regardless of “race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, class, religion, age, or ability.”

Falvey staff and librarians who have taken the training and created Safe Zones in the Library are:

Robin Bowles, Room 220

Luisa Cywinski, Access Services (First Floor)

Nikolaus Fogle, Room 227

Millicent Gaskell, Room 202 (Old Falvey)

Rob LeBlanc, Room 226

Joanne Quinn, RMC (Ground Floor)

Kallie Stahl, RMC (Ground Floor)

Sarah Wingo, Room 223

As members of the Villanova community, Falvey Library supports the creation of a community “where mutual love and respect for individual differences guide our community life.” If you would like to become a Safe Zone volunteer, please contact Terri O’ Brien (teri.obrien@villanova.edu) by September 28. The next Safe Zone Training will take place on Friday, September 29, from 3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. in Bartley Hall, room 1010.