The Aurora Center offers free and confidential services for people impacted by sexual assault, relationship violence, stalking, or sexual harassment. We serve students, staff, and faculty at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities and Augsburg University. Any student or staff who is impacted by these forms of violence is eligible for services, regardless of when or where the violence occurred, or whether they want to take formal action or not.
Free & confidential services
Aurora advocates are trained to provide support and guidance to victims/survivors as they navigate their options. They can meet in person or via Zoom to offer a variety of services tailored to each unique situation
- Individualized meetings or support group options
- For those seeking legal options, guidance through complex processes or legal resources
- Referrals to medical, financial, or housing resources
- Guidance on getting academic or work accommodations
Even if it seems like there are no options available, we encourage victims/survivors to seek support through this difficult time.
Confidentiality
What is shared with Aurora stays with Aurora. All of our staff and advocates complete a 40-hour certification training, making us confidential resources by Minnesota state statute 595.02, subd. k. This means we cannot disclose anything without your permission. Advocates will disclose limits to confidentiality at the beginning of each new client meeting or as needed before a disclosure is made on our helpline.
Limitations to our confidentiality
We have two limits to confidentiality, which apply when a client discloses:
- A plan to harm others.
- Current or recent abuse or neglect of minors, by *certain persons in their life
- Within the last 3 years for one minor victim.
- Within the last 10 years for multiple minor victims.
*Certain persons may include: family members, adults residing in the home, persons in a position of authority to the minor, and persons responsible for care of the minor.
Any mandated reports will be made either to the appropriate police department or Child Protective Services, with the knowledge of the client.
Please ask an advocate if you have questions about our mandated reporting responsibilities. We are committed to ensuring that you receive support while also maintaining your privacy to the maximum extent possible.
The majority of University employees are not confidential resources and according to UMN policy, are obligated to report knowledge of sexual misconduct and other prohibited conduct to the Equal Opportunity & Title IX office (EOT). EOT will then email the impacted person with information about confidential resources and reporting options. Typically, EOT will not initiate any action unless the impacted person contacts them to start the formal grievance process. However, EOT may choose to take some form of action upon receiving a mandated report in the following circumstances:
- EOT identifies that there is a larger concern to campus safety (serial perpetrator, use of weapons, etc.) that one reported respondent has caused harm to multiple people or that egregious violence/use of a weapon is involved in reported conduct.
- The accused respondent is an employee. In this case, EOT may need to initiate informal conversations with the employee's supervisor to encourage coaching or may need to take more formal action.
University employees should do their rest to respond to disclosures of sexual misconduct with care and transparency about their obligation to report. The Aurora Center offers staff/faculty resources for supporting students.
Aurora Center advocates and Boynton Health providers are among University resources that are exempt from the obligation to report disclosures of sexual misconduct to EOT. It is important to note that all University employees are mandated to report concerns of child abuse (similar to Aurora's responsibilities) as listed above.