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Climate Survey 2021

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

University of San Francisco School of Law

March 23, 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?

Utilize direct email outreach to reach self-identified LGBTQ prospective students via the LSAC Candidate Referral System (CRS). Also attend law fairs and LSAC Law Forums in large metropolitan areas with large LGBTQ populations such as NY, LA, San Francisco, Chicago, Atlanta, Houston, Dallas.

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?
No

We do, however, reach out directly to all self-identified LGBTQ and students of color with welcome emails from LGBTQ faculty, minority student organizations, minority alumni. We also sponsor meet and greet receptions (virtual this year) with new minority admits and related affinity groups.

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:

Question on Application: Do you consider yourself a member of the LGBTQ community?

b. If 'yes,' how many students are currently enrolled at your law school in total?:
360 J.D. seeking students
c. If 'yes,' how many self-identified LGBTQ+ students are currently enrolled at your law school, in total?:
J.D. Seeking Students, approximate total: 72
d. If 'yes,' how many of your currently enrolled LGBTQ+ students also self-identify as people of color?
Approximately 40 students
Lesbian?
Not available
Gay?
Not available
Bisexual/ Pansexual?
Not available
Transgender / Nonbinary?
Not available
Queer or member of gender/sexual orientation minority group?
Not available
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:

The University of San Francisco is an equal opportunity institution of higher education. The University does not discriminate in employment, educational services, or academic programs on the basis of an individual’s race, color, religion, religious creed, ancestry, national origin, age (except minors), sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, medical condition (cancer-related and genetic-related) and disability, or any other basis prohibited by law. The University reasonably accommodates qualified individuals with disabilities under the law.

The University of San Francisco School of Law encourages its faculty and staff to share employment opportunities throughout their networks in San Francisco and open positions are posted to a variety of job boards targeting diverse candidates, including LGBTinHigherEd.com.

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
9. How many faculty (not staff/administrators) are employed by your law school in total?
39
10. How many self-identified LGBTQ+ faculty are employed by your law school in total?
N/A: USF does not collect this data.
11. How many staff/administrators (not faculty) are employed by your law school in total?
39
12. How many self-identified LGBTQ+ staff/administrators are employed by your law school in total?
N/A: USF does not collect this data.
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:

Health coverage provided under our insurance plans covers all eligible employees and their eligible dependents.

Kaiser EOC
Kaiser Benefits

Anthem EOC
Anthem Benefits

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:

Kaiser EOC
Kaiser Benefits

Anthem EOC
Anthem Benefits

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?
No
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?
No

The USF health insurance plan provides gender reassignment services for students, but does not allow any student to enroll any dependents (in this case, partners/spouses.)

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?
Unsure
b. If you answered 'yes' or 'unsure' to #17a, please provide the basis for your answer (i.e., counseling center language, etc.):

Counseling and psychological services are provided on-campus, and staff psychologists do provide culturally and clinically competent care to our LGBTQ+ students. While we do not have a health center staffed by university employees, we do have a contracted partnership with Dignity Health Medical Group that provides primary care services to our students, located across the street from campus and around the city of San Francisco.

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

Restrooms in the Law School buildings have signs on each door that read: Gender diversity is welcomed here. Please use the restroom that best fits your gender identity or expression.

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?
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:

Restrooms in the Law School buildings have signs on each door that read: Gender diversity is welcomed here. Please use the restroom that best fits your gender identity or expression.

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.)?
No, but LGBTQ+ content is included in other courses
b. If you answered 'no, but LGBTQ+ content is included in other courses' to #20, please list course names AND approximately what percentage of course time is dedicated to LGBTQ+ content for each course:

Constitutional Law I: 10%

Constitutional Law II: 15%

Domestic Violence Law – 20%

Education Law: 20%

Employment Discrimination – 20%

Family Law: 35%

Feminist Legal Theory – 40%

Immigration Law – 15%

International Human Rights Law: 10%

Poverty Law – 10%

Sexuality Law – 80%

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

In the past three years students have used conference funding to attend the Lavender Law Conference & Career Fair.

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

Students, staff/administrators, and students can report incidents of hate/bias to the university’s Bias Education and Response Team (BERT) at the following link: https://myusf.usfca.edu/bias. The BERT team, under the purview of the Office of the Dean of Students, reviews reports and follows up with actions they deem necessary.

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, optional for all faculty/staff/administrators
Yes, optional for all students
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:

San Francisco is a vibrant and inclusive city, recognized worldwide for its contributions to LGBTQ+ culture and activism. We pride ourselves on being as inclusive as the city we’re based in and we offer an excellent legal education in a truly supportive learning community. Among our many diversity strengths, USF Law is welcoming to students who identify as LGBTQ+ as well as those who want to specialize in LGBTQ+ law or serve the LGBTQ+ community. Our goal is to support all students so that they can thrive.

USF Law students have the opportunity to connect with the Bay Area’s leading LGBTQ+ organizations as well as enjoy a range of world-class externship opportunities here in San Francisco and elsewhere around the globe. Our incredible Pride Law student organization frequently hosts leading litigators, policymakers, and activists to discuss issues and offer networking opportunities.