The Wake

The Wake has a reputation for being a sarcastic, part-time irreverent contributor to the free newspaper racks here at the University of Minnesota. I hope that you enjoy the articles about undercover federal agents posing as our friends and the governments’ sterilizing pigeons in downtown St. Paul for the Republican National Convention, but this article is notfunny (inasmuch as feds can be).

The Aurora Center is part of Boynton Health Services, located on Church Street. The center provides a safe and confidential place for victims of sexual violence and their concerned friends. Aurora offers both face-to-face appointments and a 24-hour helpline for students affected by sexual violence.

The Aurora Center for Advocacy and Education was founded in 1989 to provide free and confidential services for victims of sexual violence here at the U of M.

Advocacy services at the Aurora Center help 275 studentsand university-affiliated victims per year. Advocates at the Aurora Center are volunteers who field emergency calls from victims and concerned individuals. The hotline at the Aurora Center is active 365 days a year.

Advocates, like former volunteer Rebecca Zaremba, must undergo 60 hours of training for certification at the center. Rebecca worked in 24-hour increments fielding calls five times a month at the Aurora Center.

Aurora also provides legal aid for students that require further legal consultation, and the center’s
connection with University housing can help students to move from unfavorable living situations
at the dorms.

The Aurora Center holds presentations frequently throughout the semester, promoting sexual violence awareness, that are free to University faculty and students and are offered on demand here at the U of M. Some of the topics covered by these presentations are: drug-facilitated sexual violence, homophobia and violence against women with disabilities. These presentations are offered by professionals in the field of gender violence prevention and members of the Aurora staff.

At the Aurora Center, students can find helpful literature about sexual assault and relationship violence, as well as information on taking legal action for sexually related offenses.

Aurora also publishes a newsletter titled auROARa! Each issue of the 14-year-old quarterly newsletter contains an update on Aurora’s victim call, walk-in, and appointment statistics for each semester. auROARa! also spotlights a different community agency in every newsletter for their contribution to sexual violence education around the Twin Cities. Back Issues of auROARa! dating back to winter 2007 are available online at www.umn.edu/aurora.

If you are concerned that you or one of your friends might be in a situation that is considered a type of relationship violence, please contact the Aurora Center crisis line at 612-626- 9111 or make an appointment at the center’s office at Boynton Health Services, room 407.