Guidelines for Allies & Advocates Members 

• Respect individual's privacy. Students will expect you to be understanding, supportive, and trustworthy. Confidentiality is essential: never "out" someone to a third party.

• Use language that reflects the student's development/life stage. For example, a student may be exploring issues relating to sexual orientation, but not yet identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual. Refer to the models in this manual for examples of appropriate language.

• Respect the boundaries of the students with whom you have contact: feel free to have coffee or lunch with students who seek you out for counsel, but maintain clear, professional boundaries as a teacher, advisor, or advocate at all times.

• Respect the needs of students that are beyond what your professional capabilities: refer students for counseling when appropriate. For example, i f a student is experiencing overwhelming distress or difficulty coping, it may be appropriate to refer the student to the Counseling Center on campus, located in room 204 of the Student Services Building ; the phone number is 331-3266.

• If your Allies & Advocates sign is defaced or torn down, contact the Allies & Advocates coordinator for a new sign.

• Please inform the Allies & Advocates coordinator if you are leaving the University community or if you want to withdraw from the program.

• Keep your resource manual and other reference materials in a location that is easily accessible to you. It is permissible to copy materials from this manual for educational purposes.

• Please consult fellow Allies & Advocates members whenever you have questions or would like feedback on how to support or advise a student.

Source: Adapted from the Safe On Campus resource manual - Western Michigan University