Confidential Advisors (commonly referred to as advocates) are trained to provide campus-specific crisis management, share referral services, explore and navigate reporting options, and provide survivor advisement. Our confidentiality means for purposes of Title IX, we are NOT required to initiate a sexual misconduct investigation/report related to what is shared with us. Confidential Advisors provide a variety of support services including: 

• Advocacy for academic needs 
• Advocacy for housing needs (on and off campus)
• Advocacy within the student disciplinary system and/or criminal justice system (includes OSCR, OAE, and local courts)
• Advocacy for employment needs 
• Information and advocacy for medical needs  
• Advocacy with and support for partners, friends, and parents 
• Referrals for mental and physical health needs on campus and in the community 

Good question! Both can be very important for a survivor, depending on their needs: 

• Counselors: Specially trained to provide confidential mental health services like therapy and/or support groups. Learn more about available counseling services here on the WeCare website.

• Confidential Advisors are specifically trained on state law, campus policy and procedures, and trauma-informed advocacy and support methods for survivors of sexual misconduct. Our role is to provide survivors with their rights and options, reduce barriers to services and next steps, and advocate alongside them for the duration of their choosing. This might include accopaniment to meetings or investigative hearings if the survivors chooses to pursue those options. 

Sexual Misconduct is the broad term used to generally reference the following: sexual assault, sexual harassment, dating abuse, domestic violence, stalking, and sexual exploitation. Detailed definitions for each of these terms can be accessed here on the WeCare website.

Students, faculty, and staff survivors of all gender identities are welcome and able to receive advocacy and support services at the WRC, as are their support person(s). 

Confidential Advisors are trained in helping folx navigate options around sexual misconduct concerns. Confidential Advisors are not required to initiate a sexual misconduct report to the university or to the police. 

In partnership with La Casa Cultural Latina and the Bruce D. Nesbitt African American Cultural Center (BNAACC), the Model strategically stewards our resources in a manner that more collectively addresses sexual violence and other forms of oppression through the creation and implementation of an embedded Confidential Advisor model. A Confidential Advisor's main role as an employee of Illinois is to provide emergency and ongoing holistic support to survivors of sexual misconduct. Embedding this model within cultural centers on campus permits sexual violence prevention and response work to meet survivor needs in multiple locations, while engaging community strengths, and recognizing the barriers marginalized communities face when receiving support. The Model was designed in partnership with both of our partners (staff and students) to ensure accessibility, culturally specific approaches, and ongoing collaboration and accountability. Confidential Advisors provide onsite advocacy and support services to students, faculty, and staff and are located two days a week on Nevada Street in our partners' locations. Confidential Advisors are available in the WRC on alternate days to ensure campus coverage and accessibility.

No. Our services are confidential and we will never share someone's information with a parent, guardian, partner, friend, family, or professor. We can however, provide advice and support for survivor who wants to tell their loved ones, professors, etc. about their experience and/or what they need to feel supported.