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Climate Survey 2020

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

University of Southern California, Gould School of Law

April 23, 2020

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 are featured in a variety of LSAC publications that highlight law schools friendly to LGBTQ+ students. The primary such publication is the LSAC LGBTQ+ Guide to Law Schools.

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:

The admissions application asks “Do you identify as LGBTQIA”.

b. If 'yes,' how many students are currently enrolled at your law school in total?:
Due to the size of our community, we respectfully decline answering questions 4b-4h in order to protect the privacy of our students.
c. If 'yes,' how many self-identified LGBTQ+ students are currently enrolled at your law school, in total?:
Due to the size of our community, we respectfully decline answering questions 4b-4h in order to protect the privacy of our students.
Lesbian
Due to the size of our community, we respectfully decline answering questions 4b-4h in order to protect the privacy of our students.
Gay
Due to the size of our community, we respectfully decline answering questions 4b-4h in order to protect the privacy of our students.
Bisexual/ pansexual
Due to the size of our community, we respectfully decline answering questions 4b-4h in order to protect the privacy of our students.
Transgender / nonbinary
Due to the size of our community, we respectfully decline answering questions 4b-4h in order to protect the privacy of our students.
Queer or gender/sexual orientation minority
Due to the size of our community, we respectfully decline answering questions 4b-4h in order to protect the privacy of our students.
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?
Yes
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:

We post jobs externally to job boards that are committed to diversity and inclusion. We attract members of various diverse backgrounds, including from the LGBT community. We also include the following paragraph in our job announcements that expresses our commitment to diversity and inclusion: Equity, diversity, inclusion, opportunity and access are of central importance to the Gould School of Law (Gould). Gould holds a unique position in society, and within the university, as every aspect of these principles are influenced by and can be protected through legal rules and institutions. At Gould, we are proudly committed to maintaining a community in which each person respects the rights of others to live, work, and learn in peace and dignity, to be proud of who and what they are, and to have equal opportunity to realize their full potential as individuals and members of society.

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?:
Yes
a. If you answered 'yes' or 'unsure,' please describe your school's process for collecting this data

This is a USC centralized electronic process that is made available for new hires in the on-boarding process or for current employees in Workday which is the employee self-service system.

9. How many faculty (not staff/administrators) are employed by your law school in total?
Approx. 200. Part-time faculty numbers change on a semester basis.
10. How many self-identified LGBTQ+ faculty are employed by your law school in total?
Due to the size of our community, we respectfully decline answering questions 10-14 in order to protect the privacy of our faculty.
Lesbian
Due to the size of our community, we respectfully decline answering questions 10-14 in order to protect the privacy of our faculty.
Gay
Due to the size of our community, we respectfully decline answering questions 10-14 in order to protect the privacy of our faculty.
Bisexual/Pansexual
Due to the size of our community, we respectfully decline answering questions 10-14 in order to protect the privacy of our faculty.
Transgender /Nonbinary
Due to the size of our community, we respectfully decline answering questions 10-14 in order to protect the privacy of our faculty.
Queer or gender/sexual orientation minority
Due to the size of our community, we respectfully decline answering questions 10-14 in order to protect the privacy of our faculty.
11. How many self-identified LGBTQ+ faculty of color does your law school currently employ in total?
Due to the size of our community, we respectfully decline answering questions 10-14 in order to protect the privacy of our faculty.
12. How many staff/administrators (not faculty) are employed by your law school?
Due to the size of our community, we respectfully decline answering questions 10-14 in order to protect the privacy of our staff/administrators.
13. How many self-identified LGBTQ+ staff/administrators are employed by your law school in total?
Due to the size of our community, we respectfully decline answering questions 10-14 in order to protect the privacy of our staff/administrators.
Lesbian
Due to the size of our community, we respectfully decline answering questions 10-14 in order to protect the privacy of our staff/administrators.
Gay
Due to the size of our community, we respectfully decline answering questions 10-14 in order to protect the privacy of our staff/administrators.
Bisexual/Pansexual
Due to the size of our community, we respectfully decline answering questions 10-14 in order to protect the privacy of our staff/administrators.
Transgender/Nonbinary
Due to the size of our community, we respectfully decline answering questions 10-14 in order to protect the privacy of our staff/administrators.
Queer or gender / sexual orientation minority
Due to the size of our community, we respectfully decline answering questions 10-14 in order to protect the privacy of our staff/administrators.
14. How many self-identified LGBTQ+ staff/administrators of color does your law school currently employ in total?
Due to the size of our community, we respectfully decline answering questions 10-14 in order to protect the privacy of our staff/administrators.
15. 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 #15, 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.)?
Unsure
c. If you answered 'yes' to #15a AND/OR if you answered 'yes' or 'unsure' to #15b, please summarize or reproduce your policy here:

The University provides these benefits to all employees, including LGBT employees. Here is a link to our policy: https://employees.usc.edu/new-baby/ https://employees.usc.edu/full-time-faculty-staff/.

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

The University has an LGBT Resource Center page that provides information for transition-related healthcare. More information is found on this page: https://lgbtrc.usc.edu/trans/trans-related-health-care-for-university-employees/

17. 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?
No
18. Does your school offer the same transition-related healthcare benefits to students and their partners/spouses who are transgender or undergoing gender transition?
Yes
a. If 'yes,' please summarize or reproduce your policy here:

https://www.aetnastudenthealth.com/schools/usc/pdbs1920.pdf

19. 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 non-binary patients?
Yes
b. If you answered 'yes' or 'unsure' to #19a, please provide the basis for your answer (i.e., counseling center language, etc.):

Per https://studenthealth.usc.edu/transgender-care/

Transgender Care

USC Student Health is committed to providing comprehensive, integrated care for transgender students at USC. We understand that gender is a complex mix of cultural, biological and psychological factors. We use an integrative health model that can assist students with information and support related to transgender, genderqueer and non-binary health and wellness. Contact us at 213-740-9355 (WELL) or through the MySHR patient portal to make an appointment with a provider to discuss how we may support your needs.

Medical Services

Each transgender person has a different story and may be at a different stage in their transition; with different needs and expectations. For that reason we recommend that all transgender patients make an appointment Hormone Therapy: If you are interested in hormone therapy, please make an appointment to see Dr. Patty Pinanong, your transgender care medical provider.

Surgery: When you meet with your transgender care provider, you can discuss your concerns about surgery and the process involved. See slides below. Transgender Surgery Process Guide for Patients from University of Southern California

Student Health Insurance Plan Benefits: Transgender surgery and hormones are covered benefits of the Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) provided through Aetna. For questions and concerns about your health insurance plan and benefits, please schedule a private benefits counseling appointment with Debbie Hansen, care coordination lead for transgender medical care, at (213) 740-2180.

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

The gender-inclusive restrooms are identified simply as “restrooms”.

21. Does your law school have a restroom policy applicable to gender-segregated (i.e., "Women's Restroom" and "Men's Restroom") facilities which ensures that transgender students/staff/administrators/faculty have access to facilities that match their gender identity?
Yes
a. If "yes," please provide the language of your school's restroom use policy and details on where this policy may be found by the law school community:

Anyone may simply use the restroom that matches their gender identity.

22. 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:

LAW 751 – Sexual Orientation and the Law
LAW 757 – Sex, Gender and the Law
LAW 758 – Identity Categories
LAW 880 – Treating Difference Equally

23. Does your law school have an active LGBTQ+ law student group that is supported by the administration?
Yes
24. Does your law school provide funding, including travel support, for LGBTQ+ students to participate in LGBTQ+-focused learning and/or career services opportunities?
No
25. 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 #25, does that process specifically identify sexual orientation AND/OR gender identity/expression as protected categories?
Yes, both
b. If 'yes' to #25, does the policy set out a clear hate bias/incident reporting process for faculty, staff/administrators, and students to utilize if necessary?
Yes
26. 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
27. 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.
No
28. 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:

The Dean of the Law School meets with all Gould affinity groups once per month to address any concerns. The Student Support Office works closely with OUTLaw, the LGBTQ+ student organization, to ensure that the students feel supported and welcome.