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  • Climate Survey 2022

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

    Albany Law School

    March 23, 2022

    Question 1 provided each school with a field to confirm or update their nondiscrimination statement.
     
    b. Does your law school (or larger University, if those policies are binding upon the law school) have a "code of conduct" which prohibits same-sex relationships (including but not limited to physical/sexual activity, marriage or registered domestic partner status, etc.) for employees or students?
    No
    2. Does your law school intentionally seek out LGBTQ+ prospective students?
    Yes
    a. If ‘yes,’ how and where are your efforts directed?

    We direct outreach with relevant content to prospective students and applicants that self-identify as LGBTQ+ and include these contacts in other diversity outreach as well.

    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

    We provide a comprehensive virtual acceptance packet. Included in this are specific links to student life, Diversity & Inclusion, and Student Organizations with more relevant and detailed content as the students engage with the institution.

    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 application includes a yes/no optional question: “Do you wish to identify as LGBTQ+?”

    b. If 'yes,' how many students are currently enrolled at your law school in total?:
    547
    c. If 'yes,' how many self-identified LGBTQ+ students are currently enrolled at your law school, in total?:
    43
    d. If 'yes,' how many of your currently enrolled LGBTQ+ students also self-identify as people of color?
    11
    Lesbian?
    Students are given the opportunity to identify as a member of the LGBTQ+ community. However, they are not asked more specific questions about sexual orientation or gender identity.
    Gay?
    Students are given the opportunity to identify as a member of the LGBTQ+ community. However, they are not asked more specific questions about sexual orientation or gender identity.
    Bisexual/ Pansexual?
    Students are given the opportunity to identify as a member of the LGBTQ+ community. However, they are not asked more specific questions about sexual orientation or gender identity.
    Transgender / Nonbinary?
    Students are given the opportunity to identify as a member of the LGBTQ+ community. However, they are not asked more specific questions about sexual orientation or gender identity.
    Queer or member of gender/sexual orientation minority group?
    Students are given the opportunity to identify as a member of the LGBTQ+ community. However, they are not asked more specific questions about sexual orientation or gender identity.
    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

    The student’s formal name, previous name, preferred name, and preferred pronouns are separate responses on the application. Once enrolled, students can identify which name they prefer be used for internal records, and external school records where permitted by the requesting entity.

    6. Does your law school provide any annual scholarships specifically for LGBTQ+ students?
    Yes

    Albany Law offers an Equality and Justice Scholarship to an individual with a commitment to the LGBTQ+ community.

    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:

    Albany Law School is committed to seeking diversity in the recruitment of faculty and staff. This commitment centers on, but is not restricted to, racial, ethnic, and gender diversity and extends to sexual orientation and other protected traits as well. Our job postings appear on the NYS Job Bank, Indeed, Glass Door, LinkedIn, Zip Recruiter, and a career niche network that serves disability, diversity, and veteran applicants.

    When hiring for faculty, the Dean appoints a diverse committee of existing full-time faculty members and advertises the position, including targeted advertising aimed at reaching diverse potential applicants. The committee solicits and amasses applications from three primary sources: the AALS recruitment process, direct applications, and referrals from existing faculty members. The committee is charged with considering–and consistently does consider diversity–at every stage of the process, as the amassed applicant pools, pools of candidates offered call-back interviews, and class of ultimate hires over the past three years indicates. Diversity is always a factor given explicit and significant consideration in faculty hiring meetings.

    The Law School has taken concrete steps to identify and recruit diverse adjunct faculty. We post specific adjunct position openings on our website that encourage diverse candidates to apply. We additionally post adjunct openings with the New York State Bar Association, the Albany County Bar Association as well as ethnic and minority bar associations. In addition, the law school has reached out to local and state-wide affinity bar associations, like the Capital District Black & Hispanic Bar Association (CDBHBA), the Asian American Bar Association of New York, the LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York, and the Capital District Women’s Bar Association to encourage their members, many of whom are our alums, to become more involved in the life of the school. We have plans to share a similar survey with members of the other local affinity bar associations.

    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

    As part of the onboarding process for new hires we provide employees with the option to identify their gender identity and their pronouns. We do not ask about sexual orientation but staff/faculty/administrators may voluntarily and confidentially self-identify.

    9. How many faculty (not staff/administrators) are employed by your law school in total?
    41
    10. How many self-identified LGBTQ+ faculty are employed by your law school in total?
    2
    Gay?
    1
    Transgender / Nonbinary?
    1
    11. How many staff/administrators (not faculty) are employed by your law school in total?
    81
    12. How many self-identified LGBTQ+ staff/administrators are employed by your law school in total?
    4
    a. With reference to #12, how many LGBTQ+ staff/administrators self-identify as people of color?
    1
    Gay?
    4
    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:

    Full-time employees, who have completed at least one full year of service at Albany Law School and have worked a minimum of 1,250 hours in the preceding 12-month period, may take as much as six weeks off, with salary and benefits continuation, at any time during the first year after the birth or adoption of a child to bond with the child. This Parental Leave is intended to be a 100% wage replacement benefit. If both parents of the child are full-time employees, they may divide the six weeks between themselves as they see fit. This paid parental leave is in addition to any paid disability leave granted on account of childbirth.

    Mammography is covered for all genders. Other exams/procedures are covered if specified for the individual’s anatomy. Assisted reproductive benefits are available to females with the anatomy to conceive and who have been diagnosed as infertile. See attached document labeled Fertility.pdf for further details about reproductive 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
    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
    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?
    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
    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.):

    Our counselor has attended workshops offered by the Pride Center of Albany, Ally events, workshops at national conferences, and weekly conversations focused on social justice, which address many issues, including challenges faced by LGBTQ students.

    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

    Albany Law School has two buildings. One building has sixteen restrooms. One restroom is designated as a “Gender Neutral” restroom and is accessible for people with disabilities, five are single-use restrooms that are gender neutral, five are men’s restrooms, which are accessible for people with disabilities and five are women’s restrooms, which are accessible for people with disabilities.
    The second building has seven restrooms. One is a single-use restroom that is gender neutral and accessible to people with disabilities, three are men’s restrooms, which are accessible for people with disabilities and three are women’s restrooms, which are accessible for people with disabilities.

    All restrooms are identified on the law school’s floor plan, which is accessible on the law school’s internal portal.

    Bathrooms
    Building Floor women Stalls ADA men Stalls Urinals ADA single use ADA Gender neutal ADA Notes
    1928 Fifth 0 0 1 N Single use is for Faculty
    1928 Forth 1 2 Y 1 1 2 Y 1 N Single use is for Faculty
    1928 Third 1 2 N 1 2 2 N
    1928 Second 0 0 1 N Single use is for Dean
    1928 First 1 5 Y 1 3 6 Y 1 Y
    Library Upper 1 2 Y 1 1 1 Y
    Library Main 0 0 2 N Staff Only
    Library Lower 1 2 Y 1 1 1 Y
    2000 Third 1 2 Y 1 1 1 Y
    2000 Second 1 2 Y 1 1 1 Y
    2000 First 1 2 Y 1 1 1 Y 1 Y Single Use in Career Center. Not easily accessed by entire building
    8 19 7 8 11 15 7 6 1 1

    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
    b. Do all of the gender-segregated restrooms in your law school buildings have signage specifically indicating that people may use the restroom which best reflects their gender?
    Yes
    20. Does your law school have one or more annual LGBTQ+ specific course offerings (e.g., LGBTQ+ Law and Policy, Sexual Orientation Law, Gender Identity Law, etc.)?
    Yes, we offer such a course, but only every other year (please specify in 20a below)
    a. If 'yes,' please list course names:

    We offer Sexual Orientation Law, a three-credit course, every other year.

    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:

    In addition we offer:

    Multicultural Lawyering – Professor Lynch
    Approximately 50% of the assigned reading focus on role identity and being an LGBTQ activist while representing LGBTQ civil disobedience activists, implicit Bias, and explicit Bias.

    Health Law Clinic – Professor Joe Connors
    15% of the content addresses LGBTQ+ issues

    Criminal Law— Professor Bonventre
    15% of the cases and discussion are related to LGBTQ+ issues. For example, Supreme Court cases on criminal sodomy statutes are assigned and discussed—and then referenced throughout the course—not only to demonstrate the shameful use of criminal law historically, but more generally to illuminate what governments have and may criminalize and, specifically, the requirement that government have some legitimate reasons for doing so that outweigh important personal liberty.

    Constitutional Law I— Professor Bonventre
    Approximately 30% of the content addresses LGBTQ+ issues. These issues are included in all discussions about the different levels of judicial scrutiny when rights are abridged or equal treatment denied, and as a major component of the Equal Protection portion of the course.

    Constitutional Law II— Professor Bonventre
    15% of the content addresses GBTQ+ issues. These issues are addressed whenever different levels of judicial scrutiny are discussed in fundamental rights and equality cases.

    Domestic Violence Seminar – Professor Lynch
    25%-35% – Use of inclusive terminology when discussing intimate partner violence with specific attention to people of color and LGBTQ people as victims intimate partner violence. Once class devoted to multicultural lawyering including gender identity and sexual orientation.

    Supreme Court Watch Seminar—Professor Bonventre
    20 – 30% — These issues are raised as a major component in analyzing avowed methods judicial interpretation and the actual voting patterns of the individual justices, and the Court’s continuing treatment of LGBTQ+ rights and protections in recent cases.

    Court of Appeals Intensive Seminar—Professor Bonventre
    15% of the content addresses LGBTQ+ issues. Included as a major component in analyzing methods of judicial interpretation, including the court’s erratic treatment of LGBTQ+ rights.

    International Law of War & Crime— Professor Bonventre
    Approximately 20% of the content is focused on LGBTQ+ issues

    Gender and the Law – Professor Breger
    33% – 40% of the content is related to LGBTQ+ issues

    Family Law – Professor Breger
    Approximately 15% related to LGBTQ+ issues.

    Lawyering – Professor Dodds
    Approximately 10% of the content of the course is focused on LGBTQ+ issues.

    21. Does your law school have an active LGBTQ+ law student group?
    Yes
    a. If you answered "yes," does that group receive annual funding from the law school 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:

    Student organizations may submit proposals to the Student Bar Association for funding. We have a process which allows students to seek funding from the administration for conferences and other educational opportunities.

    23. Does your law school have a hate/bias incident policy that faculty, staff/administrators, and students are required to follow?
    No
    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
    Yes, mandatory for all students
    26. Does your school enable and encourage the sharing of personal pronouns (e.g., She/Her, He/Him, They/Them) and honorifics (e.g., Ms., Mx., Mr.) in public communications (email signature blocks, Zoom profiles, nametags, event registration forms, etc.)?
    Yes
    a. Does your law school capture students' personal pronouns and honorifics as part of the registration process?
    No
    b. If your law school captures students' personal pronouns and honorifics, is that information consistently shared with professors on class rosters with an expectation that it will be used in the classroom?
    No
    27. 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:

    Albany Law School is committed to providing a supportive environment for its LGBTQ+ students, faculty and administrators. Several years ago, the law school created a new position of Assistant Dean for Diversity and Inclusion and also created four committees focused on diversity, equity and inclusion, including an institution-wide diversity committee consisting of faculty, staff and students, as well as three additional committees the Law School has created, which focus separately on faculty, staff, and students. These committees work with each other and members of the administration to further the institution’s goal of providing a supportive and inclusive environment. The institution also supports a robust wellness program that provides education and programming around wellness and well-being, including programs around diversity and inclusion. The Student Affairs Office also works with the student affinity groups, including OUTLaw, to provide support for its programming and events and is committed to creating a culture of inclusion by displaying exhibits and displays celebrating racial, ethnic, gender, LGBTQ+ and other forms of diversity.

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