Since the Auraria and Anschutz campuses vary is many notable ways, there are two separate offices - one for each campus - to specially address the needs of the campus they are located on.

Please note this website is run by the Phoenix Center at Auraria and most information will pertain to our specific office.

The PCA is a tri-institutional office that serves people from MSU Denver, CU Denver, and CCD. As an office, we support people who are experiencing or have experienced interpersonal violence. Interpersonal violence (IPV) includes relationship violence, sexual violence, and stalking as its three main components. The PCA trains and maintains a team of confidential advocates pursuant to CRS § 13-90-107(k). This means that the advocates working for the PCA are legally prohibited from sharing information shared with them by a survivor seeking support. The PCA also operates a Violence Prevention Education Team staffed by students who are trained to provide peer education regarding issues related to IPV.

The PCA is a confidential campus victim advocacy center, funded through student fees from all three institutions. It offers a set of services unique to our campus to victims/survivors of sexual violence, relationship violence, and stalking. Services provided to clients include: court accompaniment, academic advocacy (assisting with academic assistance, course withdrawal, and tuition reimbursement), accompaniment to local law enforcement or Title IX as requested by the client, collaboration with the MSU Denver Counseling Center, safety planning, housing assistance, and ongoing case management. PCA advocates will often see clients multiple times to address their ongoing safety and academic needs. In addition to in-person services, the PCA also offers a 24/7 free and confidential helpline staffed by trained volunteer advocates to assist those who are experiencing or have experienced interpersonal violence.

Click here to understand the difference between counseling and crisis support.

In addition to providing victim services, the PCA also provides the campus with awareness raising campaigns and  comprehensive prevention education curricula. The PCA’s largest scale programs and events are collaborative initiatives with partners across all three institutions: the Clothesline Project, Denim Day, and the Red Flag Campaign. The PCA also employs a team of violence prevention peer educators who provide interactive classroom and campus-wide workshops. These students are trained in the dynamics of abuse and prevention education techniques. Additionally, the education team also has a presence at all MSUD new student orientations.

Click here to learn more about the topics taught by our team.

Click here for information on booking an appointment or general support

The Phoenix Center at Auraria is conveniently located in the Tivoli Student Union, Suite 227. The office is open from 8am-5pm, Monday – Friday. The PCA operates on the same schedule as the Auraria campus and is open during most breaks including summer, spring, and fall break. When we are not physically open, we also operate a 24/7 free and confidential helpline. Our office is located in the Tivoli across from the restaurant iPie

The Tivoli Parking Garage across from the Tivoli building is the closest location for parking. There is also metered parking available on Walnut Street. More information can be found here.

If you have an appointment in person, please plan ahead to find parking.

Auraria is Colorado’s largest campus, serving more than 50,000 students, faculty, and staff. The highest rate of intimate partner violence in the United States takes place among women aged 18-24.[1] This is a troubling statistic for the Auraria Campus where approximately 26,496 women go to school.[2] A recent Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study found that 1 in 6 women and 1 in 19 men have experienced stalking during their lifetime, causing them to feel fearful for their own life or the life of someone close to them.[3] On average 24 people per minute (12 million women and men per year) are victims of rape, physical violence, or stalking in the U.S.[4] Students, faculty, and staff at Auraria are part of that 12 million. Over the past several years, an increased public and governmental focus on Title IX compliance has required schools to provide “comprehensive victim services to all students affected by sexual harassment or sexual violence.”[5] The PCA is an integral part of fulfilling this necessary function. Additionally, it was recently noted that extenuating circumstances and lack of resources were the main reasons some Auraria students were unable to continue in their academic pursuits; we are a major resource with the ability to help these students continue towards their goals regardless of their experiences with IPV.

Item descriptionThe Phoenix Center at Auraria | Anschutz trains all of their confidential advocates in accordance to Colorado Revised Statute §13-90-107. This statute describes confidentiality as people whose records are protected from being subpoenaed. While the PCA is confidential, they are considered mandatory reporters. Being mandatory reporters (similarly to mental healthcare providers) are required to report child abuse and/or neglect or harming yourself or others.

The PCA is able to create a safe space for people to receive support after/during their experience of interpersonal violence. The PCA does not have a requirement to disclose any client's experience with interpersonal violence to their educational institution or law enforcement. A confidential advocate cannot be a witness in criminal or civil proceedings without the consent of their client. In order for confidential advocates to share any information regarding a client, the client must give documented permission, typically through the use of a “Release of Information” (ROI). An ROI typically includes an “expiration date” that keep a client’s file from remaining vulnerable.

Many universities include some type of responsible employee policy. This policy can require members of the campus that hire, promote, formally evaluate, advise, or grade to be considered “responsible employees”. Responsible employees are required to report information about crimes or behavioral misconduct to the correct reporting body.

The University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus asks that violations of the nondiscrimination or sexual misconduct policy are reported to the Office of Equity. Each university has a different office that this information can be reported. MSU Denver has the Office of Equal Opportunity, 303-615-0036, to handle their institution's reports. Community College of Denver also has an Office of Equal Opportunity, 303-352-3042.

Filing a report is as simple as notifying the office of the pertinent information. The requirement to report does not mean there is a requirement to engage. If a responsible employee hears someone disclose discrimination or sexual misconduct, they are required to contact our office. The office will then outreach to the impacted party. The impacted party is not required to engage with our office.

There are a few different objectives of the Responsible Employee model. The first is that impacted parties don’t have to be re-traumatized by having to repeat their story over and over again to get resources. By telling the Office of Equity, they are able to provide support and limit the amount details that need to be disclosed.

Another objective is that we can ensure impacted parties are getting the appropriate resources. We don’t anticipate that every responsible employee is well-versed in all of the resources available to impacted parties both on and off-campus. Our office can help make the appropriate referrals based on the information shared with us.

And lastly, if someone has experienced discrimination, harassment, or sexual misconduct, they may not be the first person to have reported somebody else’s behavior. If there is a pattern of behavior, it is important that the Office of Equity is able to stop, prevent, and remedy the behavior. There can be a larger campus safety threat that we are unable to address if the University is unaware of it.

You can find other relevant policies by clicking here

The PCA currently receives funds from 2 different areas: tri-institutional student fees and grant funding. A portion of each student’s semesterly mandatory student fees is allocated to the Phoenix Center (for more information about student fees please visit our Student Fee page) The majority of student fees received by the PCA are allocated to support our professional staff and the students serving as part of our Violence Prevention Education team in addition to normal operating functions and outreach efforts. We also receive grant funding from the Office for Victims of Crime and the Colorado Domestic Violence Program to support our ability to offer our services free of charge and continue to innovate in the field of violence prevention.

Yes! You can access them by clicking here

Oh my goodness, thank you so much, you are just too dang sweet for asking.

Click here to donate to our work. Any donated funds go directly to supporting survivors in emergency situations in ways our grants can’t support (e.g. emergency hotel stay, burner phones, etc.)

Click here to get involved with our work.