Participation Type
Paper
Session Title
Session 10.12 Gender and Sexuality
Presentation #1 Title
“I am a Safe Space”: Making Personal Connections in Professional Safe Space Training in a Central Appalachian College
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
This article discusses the lived experiences of faculty and staff who have participated in safe space training at a central Appalachian university. Based on preliminary analysis of interview data, the authors argue that the motivation for attending this optional training is both personal and professional. Faculty and staff participants indicate that their participation was derived from a sense of personal consciousness and connection with community members (i.e., students, peers, etc.). Understanding that faculty and staff have a personal interest and investment in the safe space training changes the ways in which the training should be designed and offered. We recommend that the training be geared more toward building personal connection and raising consciousness. Building these two components into the training will better prepare participants to provide a safe space for their students and colleagues. Additionally, it will help participants make connections with people in their respective campus offices and raise a collective consciousness, helping to educate individuals who may not have had a prior personal awareness of LGBT issues. Because it is necessary to create a way that bolsters compassion and understanding of the LGBT community, we argue that future training should examine ways to make deeper, more meaningful connections for the participants.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Kelli Kerbawy is pursuing her Ed.D. in Higher Education Administration at Marshall University, with an emphasis in multicultural studies. Currently she works with international students at INTO Marshall.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #2
Linda Spatig is a professor in educational foundations at Marshall University.
“I am a Safe Space”: Making Personal Connections in Professional Safe Space Training in a Central Appalachian College
Corbly Hall 243
This article discusses the lived experiences of faculty and staff who have participated in safe space training at a central Appalachian university. Based on preliminary analysis of interview data, the authors argue that the motivation for attending this optional training is both personal and professional. Faculty and staff participants indicate that their participation was derived from a sense of personal consciousness and connection with community members (i.e., students, peers, etc.). Understanding that faculty and staff have a personal interest and investment in the safe space training changes the ways in which the training should be designed and offered. We recommend that the training be geared more toward building personal connection and raising consciousness. Building these two components into the training will better prepare participants to provide a safe space for their students and colleagues. Additionally, it will help participants make connections with people in their respective campus offices and raise a collective consciousness, helping to educate individuals who may not have had a prior personal awareness of LGBT issues. Because it is necessary to create a way that bolsters compassion and understanding of the LGBT community, we argue that future training should examine ways to make deeper, more meaningful connections for the participants.
