NIU now has the opportunity to give its students an education like never before.

NIU’s LGBT Resource Center‘s program, “Straight Talk Speaker’s Bureau,” sends volunteer students specially trained in LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) topics into classrooms once requested by a teacher.

Student Coordinator Dia Walsh said requesting Straight Talk’s services is similar to an application process, where a teacher will submit a form with the class information and any specific issues they wish to be addressed. Once an appointment is made, student volunteers are dispatched to the classroom and a brief introduction is followed by a question and answer session.

“We do it that way because we want people to be able to ask any question they want,” Walsh said. “It’s a lot more comfortable, I think, for the students when they choose the direction of the conversation.”

Freshman undecided major Alexandra Copeland said that while she was not aware of the program’s services on campus, she believed it was a good idea.

“I haven’t seen any discrimination or anything, but I think it sounds like a good idea,” Copeland said. “If it’s needed, they should definitely be there.”

Thus far, Walsh said she believes the program has been a success.

“As the student coordinator, I get to read all of the feedback that the students give us after our session is over,” Walsh said. “It’s my favorite part of the job; we get a lot of positive responses and I think so far it’s really providing people with a sense of awareness.”

Last semester, Walsh estimated that a request came in about every two weeks and the group expects to cover even more of the campus this semester.

“This semester we’ll have some returning teachers that we met last year,” Walsh said. “Most of our requests come from the education, health and sociology departments. One teacher regularly asks us to come and speak to her health education class once they get to the sex unit, which is important because there isn’t only straight sex.”

Walsh also noted that the majority of Straight Talk’s requests come from the sociology department and female faculty.

“Female teachers are definitely the norm when it comes to getting in touch with us, but some males do, too,” Walsh said. “There’s just a lot of stigma applied to men if they touch any subject having to do with the gay world, so it’s probably easier for female teachers to come to us.”

While the group considers itself an NIU student service, they have hopes of expanding its clientele in the future.

“We feel it’s really important that students identify us as a student service to stay based in the student community,” Walsh said. “We would like to get into the area high schools, but we get a lot of resistance from them. That’s our biggest roadblock.”

Resistance is met among students’ parents, as well. However, the group is pleased with the campus’s atmosphere for the LGBT student community.

“I think NIU is very open; it’s awesome,” Walsh said. “But sometimes when we get into the classroom, trouble or non-cooperation can happen.”

Walsh said while hurdles in the classroom can occur, the student volunteers are educationally equipped to deal with resistance.

“Sometimes some students don’t think we should be there or may disagree with what we’re saying,” Walsh said. “But our volunteers are trained on that and it’s sort of part of the whole reason we’re there, so it works.”

Copeland said while she agreed the program was a helpful resource, she could see potential classroom interference.

“If it’s not necessary, it might just get in the way,” Copeland said.

Despite setbacks, Straight Talk said it will continue to push forth in an effort to educate.

“A lot of times people talk about minority groups and they already have a picture in their mind of what that looks like, but the members of our group are very diverse,” Walsh said. “It’s important we get out there to spread this knowledge because then it puts a face on something you may not have seen before, it’s a way of breaking through stereotypes.”

Goals for the program down the road include a higher volume of volunteer speakers, expanding its audience to dorms, sororities and fraternities and to provide the NIU community with whatever it requires in LGBT awareness.

“I have personal goals with it,” Walsh said. “But essentially I want Straight Talk to go wherever the LGBT Resource Center wants or needs it to go.”