Tips for SafeZone Allies

1. Respect individuals’ privacy. All contacts between  Safe Zone Allies and a student and/or employee should be kept confidential, with the exception of  Public Safety Agents, and appropriate university officials.
 
2. You may find yourself being an advocate, advisor, teacher or mentor to those who seek your support. We strictly prohibit romantic or sexual relationships forming between you and a student who seeks you out as a support through the Safe Zone program. We also strongly recommend that you connect students with social supports other than the ones with which you are currently involved. In order for this program to be successful, it is important that Safe Zone members keep clear, professional boundaries.
 
3. Try to use language that reflects the terminology the individual uses of him/herself/zeself rather than imposing terms that reflect your own estimate of the individual (Example: A student may be exploring his/her/ze sexuality and may not identify self as gay/lesbian/bisexual even though she/he/ze is engaging in same sex relationships).
 
4. Please feel free to consult with the Safe Zone Coordinator whenever you have questions or would like consultation regarding how to support, advise or refer a student.
 
5. Encourage those that approach you with issues to take advantage of university resources such as the Dean of Students, Health Services, and Learning Center. Encourage those that may be experiencing bias incidents to report them through our online reporting system.
 
6. Please display the Safe Zone symbol on your door in a visible place at your work station. If someone tears it down or defaces it, please inform Campus Safety and e-mail safezone@camden.rutgers.edu to replace the symbol.
 
*Preferred Pronouns - A gender-neutral pronoun is one that gives no implications about gender, and could be used for someone of any gender. Some languages only have gender-neutral pronouns, whereas other languages have difficulty establishing a satisfactory gender-neutral alternative to their gender-specific pronouns.  People with non-binary gender identities often choose new third-person pronouns for themselves as part of their transition.  Below is an example of one of many gender-neutral pronouns.
 
Nominative: When I tell someone a joke zie laughs. (Or ze laughs.)

Accusative: When I greet a friend I hug zir.

Pronominal possessive: When someone does not get a haircut, zir hair grows long.

Predicative possessive: If I need a phone, my friend lets me borrow zirs.

Reflexive: Each child feeds zirself.