At CalArts, all faculty and staff members — with some limited exceptions of counselors, Student Health Center staff and the confidential student resource advocate — are Responsible Employees under CA SB493. Responsible Employees are required to report all sexual harassment, sexual misconduct and related activity disclossed to them, they become aware of, or that they discover among faculty, staff and students. Faculty and staff are likewise required to report all misconduct related to discrimination and harassment under any protected class.
Thus, a mentor should not guarantee confidentiality to their mentees.
If you feel as if a mentee is about to divulge information you will be required to report, it is advisable that you pause the conversation to make sure they understand your role and to direct them to the confidential resources available to them on campus: Mandated Reporting Requirements | Faculty and Staff Toolkit | CalArts
It can feel uncomfortable to interrupt a personal conversation, particularly if a student is upset. However, it is important that students understand the nature of the mentor relationship and mentors feel comfortable setting appropriate boundaries. It is important that mentors understand their role as Responsible Employees.

If you have questions about this or need support in navigating the mentor mentee relationship feel free to reach out to the Director of Faculty Affairs or the Title IX Coordinator, Dionne Simmons.
Reports should be made to the Title IX Coordinator, Dionne Simmons, who can be reached via titleix@calarts.edu, at (661) 291-3091 and through an online form. The information relayed in faculty and staff reports is considered private but not confidential. The Title IX Coordinator will discuss resources with the people involved.
Each report made by faculty and staff should include all known details, how the information came to be known to the reporter and whether the reporter has reported the incident to any other office or individuals on campus. For matters involving child abuse or neglect of a minor, reports must be made immediately; the state of California maintains a 24-hour notification requirement. The same window applies to all other disclosures of prohibited conduct at CalArts.
More details about faculty and staff standards stemming from Title IX and institutional policies on sexual misconduct are available in Dionne Simmons’ presentation to new faculty members. The presentation addresses, in part, prohibited relationships by persons in authority. In short: All faculty, staff and administrators are prohibited from pursuing or engaging in amorous relationships with students for whom they have, or may have, professional responsibilities.
For more details: Mandated Reporting Requirements | Faculty and Staff Toolkit | CalArts