Professional development opportunities

Social Justice Educator Training

The Social Justice Educator Training (SJE) is a professional development opportunity for UNH faculty, staff and graduate students to further diversity awareness, knowledge and skill sets allowing for critical analysis of the services we provide, and of the relational dynamics we seek in a diverse institution. We will explore "social justice" via personal and institutional lenses to analyze: power and privilege, discrimination and prejudice, inclusion and equity through the multiple social identities etc. this process will include open and honest discussions, readings, and interactive/experiential activities in a respectful environment. The eight-hour training which is divided into two days is facilitated in a small-group setting (maximum of 25).

For more information or to apply on-line, please visit the SJE website

Safe Zones Trainings

The Safe Zones Trainings are professional development opportunities for UNH faculty, staff, and graduate students to advance awareness, knowledge, and skills around the services and support that we provide to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) students and colleagues. Participants of Safe Zones Trainings are a campus-wide network of allies who are supportive of LGBTQ faculty, students, and staff and are committed to contributing to a campus climate of inclusion at UNH.
Trainings are 1.5 hours in length. We offer department-specific trainings, and some trainings that are open to mixed groups of faculty and staff from various departments.
Topic areas explored during trainings:

Increasing awareness of the issues and experiences of LGBTQ individuals,
Using inclusive language,
Accessing and referring LGBTQ individuals to important campus resources,
Discovering specific ways to provide support and be an ally in the work that you do with students,
Exploring specific issues related to providing services to LGBTQ students and assessing ways to be inclusive of and welcoming to LGBTQ individuals in the general services that you provide,
Developing skills to take active steps toward reducing and preventing harassment, discrimination, and violence based on sexual orientation and gender identity or expression,
As an office / department, how can you best "communicate" that you [your department] is supportive [an ally] to LGBTQ students?

Following the training, participants may decide to request a Safe Zones sticker.
To inquire about attending an upcoming training or scheduling a Safe Zones Training for the faculty and staff in your department, please contact:
Ellen Semran, Safe Zones Coordinator,
at 862-5053 or ellen.semran@unh.edu or www.unh.edu/safezones .
Safe Zones is sponsored by the President's Commission on the Status of GLBT Issues
and the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs.

Identifying "At Risk" Students

A guide for Faculty or Staff This program explores the signs and cues of students who might be "at risk" of harming themselves or others in their community. It can be completed in an hour but an hour and a half is preferable. It is basic and very informative. Contact David Cross, 862-2090, or dcross@cisunix.unh.edu for more information and to schedule a session.

Bias Gallery

For many years, Residential Life has been collecting reports and artifacts from bias incidents in the residence halls. We’ve put together a large gallery of artifacts which shows the cumulative effect of hate language, prejudice and discrimination at UNH. This program includes a viewing of the bias gallery followed by a guided discussion about how bias affects the students we work with. The program will conclude with ideas for creating a safe and welcoming space for all students at UNH.
Shannon Marthouse, Assistant Director of Residential Life, will facilitate this program with a hall director and any size group can be accommodated. Contact Information 862-0216 or email Shannon.Marthouse@unh.edu.

Overview of the "Bringing in the Bystander" in-person prevention program

This sexual violence prevention program uses a community of responsibility model to teach bystanders how to intervene safely and effectively in cases of sexual violence before, during, and after incidents with strangers, acquaintances, or friends.

A bystander-focused prevention program differs from other sexual violence prevention programs in that it does not address men as potential perpetrators or women as potential victims. Rather it approaches both women and men as potential bystanders or witnesses to behaviors related to sexual violence.
The program focuses on sexual violence prevention in a broader community context. Participants are presented with strategies that reflect an appropriate level of intervention needed for inappropriate behavior.
The program identifies a continuum of inappropriate behaviors and asks that each participant make a commitment to intervene.
The program was conducted and evaluated on this campus with a large number of students, and results from the evaluation demonstrate he efficacy of this program for increasing participants’ knowledge regarding pro-social bystander behaviors.
The program is conducted in groups that provide an active learning environment for education about the role of bystanders and communities, information about the problem of sexual violence, and opportunities to build pro-social, safe prevention skills.
A research component accompanies the programming.

Learning Objectives of the “Bringing in the Bystander” in-person prevention program:

To provide skill-building opportunities for both direct and indirect intervention in order to increase helping behavior without placing bystanders own safety in jeopardy.
To demonstrate how working within broader a community model of change provides a perspective that shows how all community members have a direct stake and role to play in preventing sexual violence by changing community knowledge, attitudes and behaviors.
To incorporate predictors of successful intervention that are reinforced through education: recognizing inappropriate behavior; practicing skill building, requesting a commitment to intervene and role modeling prosocial and safe behaviors.