University of Idaho Holds Inclusion and Support Training This Week
The University of Idaho strives to be an all-inclusive campus as well as being a safe zone for our diverse students. This week there were two different two-hour long trainings that students and faculty members could attend.
One of those trainings was the QPR training which stands for Question, Persuade, and Refer. This is the acronym attendants were given to easily remember what to do when they come across someone in a crisis who may be thinking about suicide.
This is a training that is frequently brought into classrooms at the university to the larger lecture hall-sized classes in order to reach a broader audience. The training taught students how to recognize the warning signs of suicide and how to offer help to someone they think is struggling. The number one thing they told students to remember was to make sure to check in on their friends all the time because they may be suffering in silence. This training and resources are available in the Counseling and Testing Center for those who weren’t able to make the training or who want more information. This training is offered about once a month on campus.
The next training is Thursday, February 14 at 12 p.m. Questions can be directed to Amanda Ferstead at amandaf@uidaho.edu or at 208-885-1539. They prefer registration in advance but will take walk-ins if they have space available.
The other training was the Safe Zone Training. This training promotes the understanding and inclusion of LGBTQA and allies on campus nationwide. This is a nationally accredited program that is conducted on campuses across the United States. It provided information on gender identity and sexual orientation as well as tips for creating an inclusive environment for students on campus. This training is also held about once a month on campus when faculty and space are available. Questions can be directed to Julia Keleher at (208) 885-6583. She is also reachable in the Women’s Center inside the Memorial Gym. They offer zoom options for this course for students who can’t make it in person. They just prefer a 48 hours notice for zoom connection information.
These are just two of the examples of how the University of Idaho strives to be an all-inclusive campus. The flexibility of these courses is one of the few ways that they try to work with students in order to give access to this information and the resources the university has to offer.