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The University's Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Programs is raising awareness of and sensitivity to LGBT issues through one-day Safe Zone sessions offered to students, faculty and staff. "It's important that we create a climate on campus that's welcoming to all students. Empowering faculty and staff to know how to interact with sensitivity to LGBT students, allies and advocates is a vital part of that," says Janice Edwards, associate vice president for student affairs for intercultural affairs. "The impact the training has had is significant -- it's environmental, it's psychological and it's personal." Now in its third year, the Safe Zone initiative has been so successful that program coordinators have added an advanced session. Safe Zone 101 focuses on how to be an ally, offering information on homophobia, LGBT culture and definitions. Safe Zone 201 deals with advocacy and covers such topics as the process of coming out, civil unions and national and global LGBT issues. "The Safe Zone program does two things on campus in my mind," says Mickey Hart, who serves as coordinator of the Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Programs. "It says to LGBT students that there are people here who are supportive, people they can talk to. And it also acknowledges that we have an LGBT population at Ohio University." Mary Alice Casey