Welcome to the Office of Victim Assistance (OVA)

Traumatic events happen every day in all communities and CU's community is not exempt. Impact can vary and OVA strives to mitigate the impact of traumatic experiences by decreasing barriers and empowering victims/survivors in making informed decisions by providing free and confidential trauma informed services.

OVA provides free and confidential information, consultation, support, advocacy and short term counseling services to University of Colorado Boulder students, graduate students, faculty and staff who have experienced a traumatic, disturbing or life disruptive event. OVA is a seperate office from the CU police department or the Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance.  OVA is not the office that investigates or adjudicates cases.  OVA staff are confidential advocate counselors for students, staff and faculty. 

  • If you have questions about OVA services, please call 303-492-8855 or email assist@colorado.edu.
  • If you would like to meet with an OVA Advocate Counselor, PLEASE CALL 303-492-8855 at this time to initiate services/ask questions, see OVA COVID-19 update page
  • If it is after-hours, nights and weekend, 24/7 support information available here.

Confidential Reporting to OVA

Experiences that OVA can help with (OVA topic areas):

  • Experiences of bias: behavior, speech, or expression that is motivated by bias based on perceived race, religion, ethnicity, national origin, sex, gender identity, gender expression, disability, age, sexual orientation, political affiliation/philosophy, veteran status, pregnancy status, and has a negative impact. Incidents of bias can take many forms and the impact can vary. This includes protected class harassment.
  • Harassment: unwanted contact, can be on-going or a one time incident
  • Discrimination: conduct that deprives an individual of a benefit of employment or educational opportunity on the basis of identity
  • Sexual harassment: unwelcome sexual attention
  • Intimate partner abuse: a pattern of one person inflicting emotional and/or physical pain on another in order to control their present or former partner. Abuse can take many forms; emotional, psychological, financial, physical, reproductive, and sexual
  • Hazing: any activity expected of someone joining a group (or to maintain full status in a group) that humiliates, degrades or risks emotional and/or physical harm regardless of the person's willingness to participate.
  • Physical assault: a physical attack
  • Serious accidents related to a crime: accidents that are incapacitating and seriously disrupt one's ability to function in the academic environment and have some type of police or criminal response
  • Death of a loved one or community member that is a result of a crime or an additional OVA topic area on this list
  • Sexual assault: unwanted sexual contact
  • Stalking: a pattern of unwanted behavior directed at a specific person that would cause a person to feel fear and or change every day routines
  • OVA helps with other potentially traumatic or disruptive events as well. Call OVA for more information.

About Our Name

One does not need to identify with the word victim to use OVA services. OVA recognizes that the word victim can hold a stigma and some may not feel comfortable using or identifying with the word. Some people we work with identify with the word victim, some identify with the term survivor, and some do not identify with either. OVA will not label your experience and we will use the words that you feel most comfortable using to identify your experience.

Non-Discrimination Statement

The Office of Victim Assistance values diversity and inclusion. We support students, faculty and staff from diverse backgrounds. The Office of Victim Assistance shall maintain and promote a policy of nondiscrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, gender, pregnancy, age, disability, creed, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, political affiliation/philosophy, or veteran status. We acknowledge that culturally relevant trauma services is an ongoing process of learning that begins by looking within ourselves and honoring basic human rights. As individuals and as an agency, we are committed to responding effectively to social-cultural diversity.