Rainbow Educators
The Rainbow Educators are a group of students, staff, alumni/ae, and faculty who give workshops at USD on sexual orientation and other diversity issues. They speak to classes, residence halls, athletic teams, staff and faculty groups, Greek organizations, and student clubs. Their workshops are interactive, dynamic, and fun; they include films, role plays, visualizations, Q&A, and personal stories.
Mission Statement:
The Rainbow Educators (RE’s) aim to help the University of San Diego move toward greater awareness, knowledge, and inclusion of its lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered (LGBT) community.
The Rainbow Educators have the following goals:
€ To create effective and comfortable interactions between members of the USD community on topics related to sexual orientation and other diversity issues.
€ To provide accurate and up-to-date information on sexual orientation
€ To dispel homophobic stereotypes
€ To address issues impacting the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) community
Rainbow Educators Program History
The Rainbow Educators Program of the University of San Diego (USD) began in September 1999 as part of the Rainbow Visibility grant. Funded by the Irvine Foundation through USD's Cultural Competencies Project Team, Rainbow Visibility was a comprehensive plan to raise the collective awareness of the university community to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender culture and history. The Rainbow Visibility grant had five components:
1. "An Evening with PRIDE": Betty DeGeneres, spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign and mother of actress Ellen DeGeneres, addressed an audience of over 200 people on human rights and fighting homophobia.
2. PRIDE Curriculum: More than 80 faculty members attended three workshops designed to help faculty address sexual orientation issues in their course content, pedagogy, and interactions with students.
3. PRIDE Resource Library: Books and audio/visual materials were added to Copley Library on sexual orientation and other diversity issues.
4. University Colloquium: 10 faculty, staff, students, and administrators met monthly to discuss USD's relationship with its lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community in light of its mission as a Roman Catholic university.
5. Rainbow Educators: a team of students, faculty, staff, administrators, and alumni/ae who give presentations and workshops on sexual orientation and other diversity issues.
In their first year, 1999-2000, 10 Rainbow Educators (REs) led 15 programs with the sororities, Counseling Center, Peer Counselors, Women Administrators, University Ministry, Social Issues Conference, Faculty Curriculum Development Program, and graduate and undergraduate courses in business, leadership, sociology communication studies, theology and religious studies, and education.
In 2000-01, 16 REs led over 20 workshops with the United Front organizations, fraternities, sororities, Graduate Assistants, Student Affairs, Peer Counselors, Counseling Center, National Society of Collegiate Scholars, Staff Employees Association, and graduate and undergraduate courses in education, philosophy, counseling, marriage and family therapy, and leadership.
After two years of receiving funding from the Irvine Foundation and Cultural Competencies Project Team, in the 2001-02 academic year, the program was institutionalized and funded through the Student Affairs Division and housed within the Office of Student Affairs at USD.
In 2001-02, 17 REs led 14 workshops with the Faculty Curriculum Development Program, Resident Assistants, Alpha Phi Sorority, Inter-Club Council, and graduate and undergraduate courses in education, philosophy, communications, psychology, counseling, marriage and family therapy, and business.
In 2002-03, 14 REs led 17 workshops with Orientation Board, Orientation Team, USD Upward Bound, Multicultural Relations Board, United Front organizations, and graduate and undergraduate courses in education, counseling, psychology, sociology, marriage and family therapy, and leadership.
The program is currently administered by the Assistant Director, Kimberly Fernandes, a staff member in the United Front Multicultural Center (UFMC), along with a Management Team of no less than five and no more than eight members (including one student representative from PRIDE). Along with the Assistant Director, the Management Team is responsible for recruitment, training, and retention of REs. They address any conflicts, crises, and misunderstandings that may arise within the group, in workshops, and/or with the University. They are also responsible for marketing, administration, and assessment of workshops. The Management Team meets at least monthly with the Assistant Director and provides support in the administration of the program.
