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Climate Survey 2021

Connect, Share Knowledge, and Succeed Within the LGBTQ+ and Ally Legal Community.

George Washington University Law School

March 18, 2021

Question 1 provided each school with a field to confirm or update their nondiscrimination statement.
 
2. Does your law school intentionally seek out LGBTQ+ prospective students?
Yes
a. If ‘yes,’ how and where are your efforts directed?

We make it known that we are a diverse, inclusive, LGBTQ+ friendly institution throughout our recruiting efforts, including: (1) an LGBTQ+ brochure (displayed in the Admissions Office); (2) outreach by Lambda Law student/alumni leaders to prospective and admitted students; and (3) group presentations and individual conversations with prospective students in which issues related to our curricular and extra-curricular opportunities for LGBTQ+ students arise.

3. Does your law school's welcome packet for admitted students include mention of identity group support for LGBTQ+ students, as well as for students of color or other minorities?
Yes
4. Does your school offer students the option to self-identify (also known as "Self-ID") as LGBTQ+ in admissions applications or post-enrollment forms?
Yes
a. If 'yes,' please describe your student Self-ID process:

Applicants are offered the option to Self-ID by stating whether they are interested in joining our organization for “LGBTQ Law Students.” Certain organizations and opportunities, like journals, clinics, and committees, may also invite students to submit a diversity statement.

b. If 'yes,' how many students are currently enrolled at your law school in total?:
We currently have 1,935 enrolled students.
c. If 'yes,' how many self-identified LGBTQ+ students are currently enrolled at your law school, in total?:
Although students are given various opportunities to self-identify, this number is not tabulated.
5. Does your law school offer transgender and nonbinary students who have not legally changed their names the ability to have their name-in-use reflected on their admission applications or post enrollment forms?:
Yes
6. Does your law school provide any annual scholarships specifically for LGBTQ+ students?
Only general diversity scholarships
7. Does your law school actively seek to employ diverse staff/faculty/administrators, including openly LGBTQ+ individuals?:
Yes
a. If 'yes,' please detail how and where diversity recruitment efforts are directed:

As a University, we support a variety of external job sites which promote a diverse and inclusive environment. All jobs are posted on the following external job sites:

LinkedIn, Indeed.com, HigherEd Jobs, DC DOES, Maryland Workforce Exchange, Montgomery County, Maryland Workforce Exchange, Prince George’s County, Virginia Employment Commission, City of Alexandria, Virginia Employment Commission, and the City of Fairfax

8. Does your law school conduct a "Self-ID" program which allows staff/faculty/administrators to voluntarily and (if they desire) confidentially identify their gender identity and sexual orientation?:
No

There is an optional question on our application to self-identify race, ethnicity, gender and/or veteran status. Additionally, we do allow employees to specify their pronouns in their email signatures if they choose to do so.

9. How many faculty (not staff/administrators) are employed by your law school in total?
We currently have 107 full-time faculty members, and 225 adjunct faculty members.
10. How many self-identified LGBTQ+ faculty are employed by your law school in total?
Four full-time faculty members have voluntarily self-identified as LGBTQ+. There is no formal self-identification process for faculty.
11. How many staff/administrators (not faculty) are employed by your law school in total?
We currently have 111 regular staff employees, and 4 temporary staff employees.
12. How many self-identified LGBTQ+ staff/administrators are employed by your law school in total?
One staff/administrator has voluntarily self-identified as LGBTQ+ and that individual is also a faculty member. Please note that for the purposes of this survey, this individual has only been counted here.
13. Does your law school provide employee benefits such as health insurance, family medical leave, parental leave, and nontraditional family planning like assisted reproduction and/or adoptive benefits?
Yes
a. If 'yes,' are those employee benefits available on equal terms to employees in same-sex marital/domestic partnership relationships as they are to employees in different-sex marital/domestic partnership relationships?
Yes
b. If you answered 'yes' to #13, are those employee benefit plans inclusive of the specific needs of LGBTQ+ employees (i.e., are assisted reproductive benefits offered without the need for extended traditional attempts at pregnancy, are care techniques such as mammograms, prostate exams, hysterectomies, etc. available to employees of all genders, are parental leave policies equal for people of all genders, etc.)?
Yes
c. If you answered 'yes' to #13a AND/OR if you answered 'yes' or 'unsure' to #13b, please summarize or reproduce your policy here:

https://mssc.gwu.edu/lgbtqia-resource-center https://benefits.gwu.edu/sites/g/files/zaxdzs1316/f/2020%20Benefits%20Active%20Guide.pdf

14. Does your law school offer transition-related health benefits including hormone therapy, gender counseling, gender-affirming surgeries, etc. to transgender/nonbinary employees and employees who are undergoing gender transition?
Yes
a. If 'yes' or ‘unsure,’ please summarize or reproduce your policy here:

https://hr.gwu.edu/sites/g/files/zaxdzs3571/f/2021%20Active%20Benefits%20Guide.pdf

15. Does your law school offer a student benefit plan including health insurance with nontraditional family planning like assisted reproduction and/or adoptive benefits, and/or any additional benefits such as access to campus facilities?
Yes
a. If yes, are those student benefits available on equal terms to students in same-sex marital/domestic partnership relationships as they are to students in different- sex marital/domestic partnership relationships?
Yes
b. If you answered yes to #15, are those student benefit plans inclusive of the specific needs of LGBTQ+ students (i.e., are assisted reproductive benefits offered without the need for extended traditional attempts at pregnancy, are care techniques such as mammograms, prostate exams, hysterectomies, etc. available to students of all genders, etc.)?
Yes
c. If you answered yes to #15a AND/OR if you answered yes or unsure to #15b, please summarize or reproduce your policy here

https://healthcenter.gwu.edu/sites/g/files/zaxdzs1216/f/downloads/GWU%201920%20PD%26BS%20FINAL%20Formatted%20Remediated.pdf

16. Does your school offer the same transition-related healthcare benefits to students and their partners/spouses who are transgender/nonbinary or undergoing gender transition?
Yes
a. If 'yes,' please summarize or reproduce your policy here:

https://healthcenter.gwu.edu/sites/g/files/zaxdzs1216/f/downloads/GWU%201920%20PD%26BS%20FINAL%20Formatted%20Remediated.pdf

17. Do all students at your law school have access to on-campus health, counseling and therapy services either through the law school or the larger University?
Yes
a. If 'yes,' are your school's on-campus health care providers trained to ensure they can provide culturally and clinically competent care to LGBTQ+ patients, particularly transgender and nonbinary patients?
Yes
b. If you answered 'yes' or 'unsure' to #17a, please provide the basis for your answer (i.e., counseling center language, etc.):

https://healthcenter.gwu.edu/counseling-and-psychological-services

18. Does your law school provide single-stall and/or multi-stall restrooms available to people of all genders (i.e., gender-neutral restrooms) in each law school building so that transgender/nonbinary people have a safe restroom space?
Yes
a. If 'yes,' please describe how those all-gender restroom(s) is/are identified (i.e., what does the signage say, is it identified on building maps and online resources), the number of all-gender restroom stalls available in each law school building, and whether these are accessible for people with disabilities in each building or floor

The restrooms have signage indicating they are an “All Gender Restroom.”

19. If your law school is maintaining gender-segregated (i.e., "Women's Restroom" and "Men's Restroom") restroom stalls, does it have a policy applicable to those facilities which ensures that transgender/nonbinary students/staff/administrators/faculty, as well as anyone who does not meet gender stereotypes, have access to facilities that match their gender identity?
No

While we do not have an official policy stating the above, all restrooms are available to all students, faculty, and staff.

20. Does your law school have one or more annual LGBTQ+ specific course offerings (e.g., LGBTQ+ Law and Policy, Sexual Orientation and the Law, Gender and the Law (focused on trans-inclusive materials), etc.)?
Yes
a. If 'yes,' please list course names:

Gender, Sexuality and International Human Rights Law; Sexuality and the Law; Family Law; Public Law Seminar (Law of Work, Family, and Gender); Public Law (Gender, Race, Species Seminar); Gender Discrimination and the Law

21. Does your law school have an active LGBTQ+ law student group that is supported by the administration?
Yes

Lambda Law is an organization of students interested in gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) legal issues, employment concerns, and the fostering of tolerance and awareness on campus. The organization provides a network for professional and social interaction between GLBT and ally students, faculty, and legal professionals, and for the education of the Law School community about issues facing GLBT individuals. Since its foundation in 1989, Lambda Law has become a visible and active force at the Law School. The organization was involved in adding ‘sexual orientation’ to GW’s nondiscrimination policy, developing and implementing programs with the Career Development Office regarding legal job search issues facing GLBT students, and discussing the Law School’s position toward issues concerning military recruiters on campus. Ongoing events include a mentor program with GLBT attorneys in Washington, discussions on current legal issues and developments, attendance at national legal conferences, educational activities for major advocacy events such as National Coming Out Day and Freedom to Marry Day, and social events with the Law School and other local law student groups. All students are welcome and encouraged to join Lambda Law in an effort to increase awareness and acceptance at the Law School.

Please visit our website: https://www.law.gwu.edu/student-organizations

22. Does your law school provide funding, including travel support, for LGBTQ+ students to participate in LGBTQ+-focused learning and/or career services opportunities?
Yes
a. If yes please provide details and examples of when and how those opportunities have been utilized in the past three years:

Absent a pandemic, we would typically sponsor a Lambda Law job fair, as we have for the past 10 years. Under the umbrella of student organization funding, Lambda Law students have the resources to travel to professional conferences.

23. Does your law school have a hate/bias incident policy that faculty, staff/administrators, and students are required to follow?
Yes
a. If yes to #23, does that process specifically identify sexual orientation AND/OR gender identity/expression as protected categories?
Yes, both
b. If yes to #23, does the policy set out a clear hate bias/incident reporting process for faculty, staff/administrators, and students to utilize if necessary?
Yes

https://compliance.gwu.edu/equal-opportunity-nondiscrimination-anti-harassment-and-non-retaliation#:~:text=The%20George%20Washington%20University%20does,Act%2C%20or%20other%20applicable%20law

24. Does your law school provide mandatory anti-sexual harassment training that explicitly covers same-sex harassment and harassment of transgender/nonbinary people, for all staff/faculty/administrators, at least every three years?
Yes
25. Does your law school provide diversity and inclusion training that incorporates robust LGBTQ+ curriculum as well as anti-racism curriculum, at least every three years? NOTE: Please check all that apply.
Yes, mandatory for all faculty/staff/administrators
26. Please describe all additional ways, not identified through your earlier responses, in which your law school works to be safe, inclusive, and welcoming for its LGBTQ+ students, faculty, and administrators:

GW Law is committed to an intersectional approach to supporting diversity and inclusion among all students, faculty, and staff. We are proud of the diverse perspectives brought to the community by individuals from around the country and the world. We strive to be a community that acknowledges and celebrates our differences, welcomes challenging dialogues, and provides a space where unique individual and group values are shared and honored. Through our many student groups and committees, GW Law works together to create an atmosphere that accepts all perspectives and champions for increased knowledge and care for one another.

If you have more questions about GW Law’s diversity and inclusion initiatives, please contact Jason Belk, Assistant Dean of Students, at jbelk@law.gwu.edu.

Please also visit our website: https://www.law.gwu.edu/diversity-inclusion.