Confidential Resource Advisors (CRAs) provide information, assistance, and support to individuals impacted by sexual violence, relationship violence, and stalking. Our services are available to students and employees across the University of Maine System.

We work with both primary survivors—those who directly experienced or are experiencing violence—and secondary survivors—those close to someone who experienced or is experiencing violence, such as family members, friends, and coworkers.

CRAs understand that everyone’s experiences are different. Our goal is to create a nonjudgmental and compassionate environment in which survivors feel safe, heard, and validated. We use disability-affirming, LGBTQIA+-inclusive, and trauma-informed practices to ensure our services are supportive of survivors’ varying needs.

If you have been impacted by sexual violence, relationship violence, and/or stalking, CRAs can provide you with information and resources to help you receive the support you deserve:

  • Medical services are available both on-campus and off-campus; for sexual assault forensic exams (SAFE), visit Maine Medical Center (External Site)
  • Counseling services are available both on-campus and off-campus
  • Local sexual assault (SA) and domestic violence (DV) support center services
  • Title IX services and resources
  • Academic, residential, and employment accommodations and other supportive measures
  • Reporting options and their probable effects
  • Protection, no contact, and other lawful orders issued by the university or criminal, civil, or tribal court
  • University investigative, disciplinary, and non-disciplinary processes
  • Local, state, tribal, and federal law enforcement legal processes
  • Loan counseling for students who are considering temporary or permanent withdrawal or reduced enrollment

CRAs will never tell you what you should or should not do, but we will work with you to explore your options and consider what, if any, next steps you might want to take.

If you or someone you know has been impacted by sexual violence, relationship violence, and/or stalking and would like assistance taking next steps, CRAs can provide additional support when requested:

  • Connecting with Title IX services
  • Connecting with or reporting to campus police or local law enforcement
  • Coordinating potential university-provided accommodations or other supportive measuresCreating safety plans
  • Attending university disciplinary proceedings or administrative adjudication proceedings as an advisor or support person of choice

For disciplinary and adjudication proceedings, we will not provide services to both the reporting party and the responding party to an incident of sexual violence, relationship violence, or stalking.

If you are interested in prevention education, outreach, or awareness raising for issues related to interpersonal violence (i.e., sexual violence, intimate partner violence, domestic violence, stalking, etc.), CRAs offer various opportunities to engage with your campus. We can provide presentations, workshops, and trainings on topics such as:

  • Consent and boundaries
  • Healthy relationships
  • Stalking and harassment
  • Intersections of sexual violence
  • Healing from sexual violence
  • Bystander intervention

We also welcome opportunities to collaborate on violence prevention efforts led by student organizations like the Its’ On Us Chapter at USM and University offices and programs. If you are interested in partnering on an event or other prevention opportunity, please contact the CRA.

Confidentiality Notice

To maintain confidentiality of the individuals we serve, Confidential Resource Advisors (CRAs) are not mandatory reporters (external site) except in limited situations, such as disclosures of child abuse/neglect, disclosures from individuals under the age of 18 years old, or disclosures from incapacitated or dependent adults. For more information, review Maine law L.D. 1727, Title 20-A, §12986 (External Site).