As students enter towards their fifth week into the spring semester at CSU Bakersfield, Safe Zone ally triangles have been spotted around campus. These Safe Zone triangles can be seen on doors of faculty, staff, and administration in each department on campus.  

  The meaning of the Safe Zone triangle is a demonstration of the area being a zone where LGBT people can feel safe and ask for guidance and have the trust of allies. 

 The Safe Zone Project is a university-wide program that offers wide support from faculty, staff, and administration to the LGBTQ+ community with being a consultant. CSUB offers a one-day orientation by Dr. Harville who is the Safe Zone coordinator the orientation is only being given to faculty, staff and administration at the moment.  

  Students can help by gaining more knowledge of how to become allies by joining the LGBTQ+ club on campus, getting politically involved, making friends who are a part of the community and asking a Safe Zone ally about the Safe Zone Project here at CSUB.  

  Cecilia Perales, a junior at CSUB with a Kinesiology major, has seen the Safe Zone triangle, yet does not know the meaning of the Safe Zone triangle or the Safe Zone area.  

  “Why don’t we as student’s get informed via email about these sorts of opportunities, how can I even help out,” said Perales.  

  The Safe Zone area is where an individual who is LGBTQ+ can come and be able to express themselves and be able to feel assured by the person who is the ally and be able to consult them on any sort of questions they might have.  

  Safe Zone coordinator Michael Harville is also a CSUB counselor, preferred pronouns: he, him, his. He has been a CSUB faculty member since 2005 and first introduced the Safe Zone in Feb. 2008 after a conference he attended at CSU Long Beach.  

  Harville felt the need to bring the Safe Zone Project to CSUB to support the LGBTQ+ community and allow them to feel welcomed on campus and for the community to feel the support from faculty and others on campus. The LGBTQ+ club on campus meets every other Tuesday from 2 to 3 p.m. in the Blue Room located inside the Student Union. 

  “Many people have felt like they do not belong, it is exceptionally valuable to say they are welcomed here,” said Harville.  

  One of the many staff members, who is also an ally of the Safe Zone project, is Psychology Department Chair Anne Duran preferred pronouns: she, her, hers. Duran has been a part of CSUB for the past 19 years and has been an ally since. She is a part of the Ally Rally and it occurs here on campus during the Fall semester in the Stockdale room. 

  “When students, faculty, and staff walk down the hall and see the symbol they should feel safe by the allies,” said Duran “Visibility, is making sure LGBTQ people have allies who support them.” 

  Duran makes sure to spread her knowledge and show her responsibility of being an ally by having her Safe Zone Verbiage at the end of her syllabus, 

  “Safe Zone: This class is a SAFE ZONE and I am a Safe Zone Ally. Safe Zone allies are people who are trustworthy, knowledgeable, and sensitive to all students and dedicated to promoting acceptance and inclusion of the LGBTQ community. Please feel free to ask me questions about the ally program and what it means to be an Ally.”

 The symbolization of the Safe Zone triangle logo is a representation for the LGBT community, its circle is for unity and the background is the colors of CSUB. The design was created in 2008 and has been the same since