South Puget Sound Community College

Safe Zone Program

In an effort to further promote a safe and healthy learning and working environment, South Puget Sound Community College offers a formal Safe Zone Program. Safe Zone programs are designed to provide a safe space or a place of refuge, where members of the campus community can turn when they:

• feel that their safety is immediately threatened, and/or
• have been on the receiving end of bias of any kind.

The goal of the Safe Zone Program is to facilitate members of the college community finding a sanctuary on every floor of every building on campus if they feel under siege, physically threatened, or even just in need of a kind word. A Safe Zone is a friendly and secure location that offers immediate safety and personnel, to provide a sanctuary and safe passage through the campus. The personnel providing the sanctuary is a certified Safe Zone Participant who has completed the required Safe Zone training. Becoming a Safe Zone Participant is a voluntary choice, and requires a serious commitment.

When a student or employee comes to a designated Safe Zone location, procedures will be followed to facilitate the safety and support of the individual in need. In most cases the door to the office or room will be closed and locked. The response of the participant can vary depending on the situation, but could include contacting Campus Security or local law enforcement and making a referral to Student Support Services to see a campus counselor. Safe Zone participants are not counselors (unless that is their function at the college) and should not be utilized in such a manner.

In addition to the established Safe Zone program, the college has a Bias-Motivated Incident Response Team (BIRT). All bias related incidents, that is, an incident that occurs due to a bias (typically based on gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, disability and/or veteran's status, or age) should be reported to the BIRT. BIRT address campus climate issues related to bias incidents on-campus. See Chapter 5.33 for information and procedures for BIRT.

Participant Requirements

To become certified, a Safe Zone Participant must:

• have access to an office, with a lockable door and a telephone that can make on and off campus calls. If an office is shared, each person occupying the office must agree to the terms of the Safe Zone program and be a certified participant.
• complete the entire mandatory Safe Zone participant training.
• keep a Safe Zones Participant Folder in the office at all times, stocked with Bias Incidence reporting forms.
• display the Safe Zone sign in a visible location. A listing of all Safe Zone locations will be on display and available on the Office of Diversity and Equity web site found at: http://saw.spscc.ctc.edu/diversity/safe-zones.html
• agree to the commitment to never turning away any individual seeking support.

Participant Training Program

Anyone that offers their office as a Safe Zone is required to complete Safe Zone Participant training to become a certified Safe Zone participant. Participants will learn how to best deal with emergent situations and gain a level of cultural competence that will allow them to be helpful and supportive to individuals in need. The initial training is comprised of the following:

A. Safe Zone Orientation - An introduction to hate crime statistics, the need for Safe Zones, and the commitment required of certified participants. (1 Hour)
B. Stop the Hate Training - Special training designed to combat hate crimes on college campuses. The training is broken into two 1 ½ hour modules.

• Module One will provide specific definitions of hate crimes and bias incidents.
• Module Two will build awareness and teach techniques on how to be an ally.

In addition, supplemental trainings will be offered throughout the academic year. Participants are required, after the initial training, to attend a minimum of 2 hours of training per academic year in order to remain a certified Safe Zone participant. Trainings will be offered through the Office of Diversity and Equity and/or the Center for Professional Excellence and will be clearly designated as qualifying for Safe Zone Participant Requirements.

Safe Zone Locations

All Safe Zone locations must display the college's designated Safe Zone emblem in a visible location at all times. The college strives to have a minimum of one designated Safe Zone on each floor of every building on campus. The designated Safe Zone emblem includes a map of Safe Zone locations located within that building and specifically on that floor and information regarding campus-wide Safe Zone locations. A list of Safe Zone Locations can be found at: http://saw.spscc.ctc.edu/diversity/safe-zones.html