Phoenix Center earns confidentiality pledge from campus leadership

Leadership at the University of Colorado Denver, Metropolitan State College of Denver and Community College of Denver all have declared their support for victim confidentiality at the Phoenix Center at Auraria.

"Many schools don't honor confidentiality in this way," said Sam Cole, director of community relations at the Center on Domestic Violence in the UC Denver School of Public Affairs. "In so doing, the leadership is demonstrating that they value confidentiality in the work of the center."

The Phoenix Center at Auraria, which opened in October, serves students, faculty and staff at all three campus institutions, as well as staff at the Auraria Higher Education Center. Goals of the Phoenix Center at Auraria include establishing victim services, increasing offender accountability, coordinating campus response to incidents of interpersonal violence, and developing prevention and awareness activities.

The Phoenix Center at Auraria was funded by a $500,000 U.S. Department of Justice grant for the development of a program for prevention of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking on the Auraria Campus.

The center offers a 24-hour confidential helpline (303-556-CALL or -2255), victim support, advocacy and other services. It also conducts programming to raise understanding among students, faculty and staff of sexual assault, stalking, and dating and domestic violence on campus. The center also utilizes student volunteer violence-prevention educators who conduct peer-to-peer education, operate booths and tables at Auraria events, distribute literature and increase visibility of the issue on campus.