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  • Climate Survey 2021

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

    Widener University Commonwealth Law School

    March 17, 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?

    The Admissions Office intentionally seeks out LGBTQ+ prospective students by attending diversity focused recruiting events and sending targeted emails to LGBTQ+ candidates. The Admissions staff also attends diversity training focused on recruiting and supporting LGBTQ+ students.

    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:

    Starting in the 2021 entering class admissions application, applicants have the option to self-identify as LGBTQ+. Because this is new to our application this year, we do not have additional data to provide in the additional sub-parts of this question. We will have reportable data to include in the 2021-22 Climate Survey.

    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:

    Widener University has a strategic commitment to building an inclusive community whose diversity enriches the lives of all members. We recruit through an online tool called PageUp and all jobs that are approved automatically post to the following: Indeed.com, Diversityjobs.com, and Higheredjobs.com. Widener University also recruits from a variety of diverse niche sites specific to the academic or research area of expertise. In addition, Widener University was the recipient of the INSIGHT into Diversity, Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award in 2018.

    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

    Widener University’s employment record form offers new employees the opportunity to voluntarily self-identify gender. Information related to sexual orientation is not gathered.

    9. How many faculty (not staff/administrators) are employed by your law school in total?
    Widener University Commonwealth Law School employs (15) full-time faculty members.
    10. How many self-identified LGBTQ+ faculty are employed by your law school in total?
    Zero
    11. How many staff/administrators (not faculty) are employed by your law school in total?
    Widener University Commonwealth Law School employs (26) full-time administrators and staff members.
    12. How many self-identified LGBTQ+ staff/administrators are employed by your law school in total?
    1
    a. With reference to #12, how many LGBTQ+ staff/administrators self-identify as people of color?
    Zero
    Lesbian?
    Zero
    Gay?
    1
    Bisexual / Pansexual?
    Zero
    Transgender / Nonbinary?
    Zero
    Queer or member of gender/sexual orientation minority group?
    Zero
    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:

    Benefits Decision Guide
    Summary of Benefits and Coverage
    Dependent Coverage Policy

    Eligible Dependent
    The Employee’s family is eligible for coverage (Dependent coverage) under this Program when the Employee is eligible for Employee coverage. An eligible Dependent is defined as the Employee’s spouse under a legally valid existing marriage, the Employee’s child(ren), including any stepchild, legally adopted child, a child placed for adoption or any child whose coverage is the Employee’s responsibility under the terms of a qualified release or court order. The limiting age for covered children is the first of the month following the month in which they reach age 26. A Domestic Partner is also eligible for enrollment. As long as the Domestic Partnership exists, the child or children of a Domestic Partner shall be considered for eligibility under the Program as if they were the Member’s own child or children. If the Member enrolls their Domestic Partner, the Member has an affirmative obligation to notify the Claims Administrator immediately if the Domestic Partnership terminates.

    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?
    No
    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 University does not have offer a health insurance plan for law students or their partners and 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?
    No
    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

    Signage is posted next to communal restrooms that informs of the location of all gender restrooms. The specific signage says: “An all gender restroom is available in. . .” The single stall all gender restrooms are located in both of our law school buildings and there are (4) available. Currently, restrooms are designated as unisex with male/female icons. However, signage will be transitioned to just use the word “Restroom.” This transition was planned for this past year but due to COVID our classes have been only offered remotely since last March. Restrooms are identified on campus maps and are accessible.

    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
    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:

    Sexuality, Gender and the Law Seminar

    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:

    Funds have been allocated to support interested students’ attendance at the National LGBT Conference and Career Fair. This opportunity is available to LGBTQ+ students and/or allies. We also fund OUTLaw activities through our Student Bar Association when funding is requested by the organization.

    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
    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:

    Members of our faculty, staff, and administration who wish to participate in the Safe Space Ally training program are encouraged to do so. Widener University has launched a new and improved Safe Space training program which consists of an online training module as well as a hands-on workshop. At present, over 20% of our faculty, staff, and administrators are safe space “certified” and we expect this number to increase given the flexibility of the online module.

    We also offer mandatory diversity, equity, and inclusion programming to students either through the orientation process or as part of professional development requirements. Additionally, (30) of our students are currently participating in an 8-week Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion certificate program offered through the Corley Institute at George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School.

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    • Albany Law School
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    • Widener University Commonwealth Law School
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