The Government of the Student Body Senate passed a resolution at its Wednesday meeting promoting the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Ally Alliance Safe Zones and encouraging Iowa State students to learn more about the issue.

The Safe Zone issue started when ISU President Martin Jischke approved a professional and studies grant allowing the program to be funded.

GSB started working with the Safe Zones when Rob Wiese, president of GSB, issued an executive order making all GSB offices Safe Zones.

That initiative was reversed, however, since it was not fully supported by LGBTA Alliance. Many members of LGBTA Alliance opposed the legislation because they didn’t want Safe Zones to be forced on people.

Working with Wiese, Mike Poray, graduate, wrote a bill encouraging Safe Zones. The bill originated in the Graduate Student Senate and was rewritten for GSB.

“As student leaders on campus, we want people to be educated about [Safe Zones],” Poray said. “It’s a place to foster education and information about various lifestyles.”

Many GSB senators showed their support by adding their names to the bill, which passed unanimously.

The Safe Zones are designated by stickers posted on the walls of offices, classrooms and buildings. They are intended to allow people to feel safer about coming to that place without worry of false judgment, said Mike Pogge, LAS.

“The program gives more visibility to a community that doesn’t have much,” he said. “Iowa State needs to realize that diversity comes in all forms, and with that, discrimination comes in all forms as well.”

Copies of the bill were given to LGBTA Alliance, which gave its approval.

The resolution was a very positive move on the part of GSB, said Jason Rivera, president of LGBTA Alliance and senior in community and regional planning.

“Rob Wiese and most of the senators supported it,” Rivera said. “GSB is simply showing its support of the Safe Zones project.”

LGBTA Alliance and GSB don’t want anyone to put up a sticker unless it is something they believe in. “It shouldn’t be a bandwagon effect,” Pogge said.

In other news, the senate:

• Heard committee reports from the public information and the special student fees committees.

• Seated Brian Knau, senior in business and agronomy, as a senator for the College of Agriculture.

• Passed the line item transfers bill.

• Tabled, with a vote of 21 to 6, a bill funding the Forensics Club.

• Passed, with a vote of 19 to 5, a bill funding the Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma conference trip.

• Passed, with a vote of 24 to 2, a resolution in support of the campaign for the George Washington Carver endowed faculty chair.