Climate Survey 2022

Drexel Kline School of Law actively recruits prospective LGBTQ+ students. Our Admissions professionals strategically concentrate recruiting efforts on private visits to many undergraduate colleges and universities throughout the year, where they connect with pre-law advisors and LGBTQ+ student organizations about our law school and its diverse and inclusive community. In addition, our school’s continuing commitment to building a diverse and equitable community, which is certainly inclusive of the LGBTQ+ members of our community, is captured on our application for admission to each of our degree programs.

Our application for admission contains a demographic section in which prospective students may identify as LGBTQIA+. Students also have an opportunity to self-identify as LGBTQ+, and often do, through personal statements submitted as part of their applications. Our admissions application also allows students to submit an optional diversity statement, through which students may also elect to self-identify as LGBTQ+. Once enrolled, students may self-identify as LGBTQ+ when they update their profiles in our administrative database, Banner.

As a college of Drexel University, Kline School of Law adheres to the University’s recruiting and hiring practices as an Equal Opportunity Employer. In addition, the law school provides the means for job applicants to submit an optional diversity statement as part of their applications for employment, which allows all prospective employees to self-identify, if they so choose, as LGBTQ+.

As a college of Drexel University, the availability of benefits to Kline School of Law employees is governed by Drexel University Human Resources policies, guidance and procedures. As such, same-sex and different-sex spouses of law school employees are eligible to receive health benefits through Drexel University, as are same-sex and different-sex domestic partners of law school employees. In the case of same-sex and different-sex spouses, proof of marriage must be provided to support spousal eligibility. An Affidavit of Domestic Partnership must be completed and submitted to Drexel University Human Resources to support domestic partner eligibility.

All eligible employees and spouses/domestic partners have access to the full range of benefits covered by the employee’s health benefit/insurance elections, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation. Services not covered by an employee’s elected insurance may be paid for out-of-pocket and/or through health care flexible spending accounts that employees may fund through automatic payroll deductions.

Employees are eligible for parental leave as long as they have worked for the organization for 1 year and/or 1250 hours. In the event those criteria are not met, a personal leave of absence may be agreed upon in consultation with Drexel University Human Resources.

As a college of Drexel University, the availability of benefits to employees of Kline School of Law is governed by Drexel University Human Resources policies. As such, while many employee medical costs associated with transitioning may covered under Drexel’s health benefits offerings, the availability of transition related health benefits such as those referenced in this question will ultimately depend on the health insurance election of the employee. Determining the extent of coverage for transition related benefits under any electable insurance policy would require direct communication between employee and insurance company, and would include an assessment of potential out-of-pocket costs attributable to the insured individual(s).

Law students and their spouses are eligible to enroll in and have access to the full range of benefits covered by the Drexel University Student Health Insurance Plan, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation. These benefits are not available to domestic partners at this time. Please see the applicable student benefits policy and Student Health Outline of Coverage found online at https://www.aetnastudenthealth.com/en/school/812834/index.html
, and https://www.aetnastudenthealth.com/en/school/812834/members.html.

Law students and their spouses are eligible to enroll in and have access to the full range of benefits covered by the Drexel University Student Health Insurance Plan, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation. These benefits are not available to domestic partners at this time.The availability of transition related health benefits such as those referenced in this question will ultimately depend on the health insurance election of the student. Please see the applicable student benefits policy and Student Health Outline of Coverage found online at https://www.aetnastudenthealth.com/en/school/812834/index.html, andhttps://www.aetnastudenthealth.com/en/school/812834/members.html.

As a college of Drexel University, students of Kline School of Law have access to health, counseling, and therapy services through the Drexel University Student Health Center and the Drexel University Counseling Center. The staff of Drexel University’s Student Health Center and Counseling Center are committed to offering a safe, welcoming environment for all students regardless of their racial or ethnic identity, culture, nationality, socioeconomic status, religious or spiritual beliefs, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, and/or physical ability. We highly value diversity and aspire to create a respectful, safe space for all students.

As a college of Drexel University, Kline School of Law adheres to Drexel University Human Resources policies, guidance and procedures. The Drexel University guideline for employees “Transitioning at Work” addresses restroom access and the issue of gender-segregated facilities. This guideline, which can found be online at https://drexel.edu/hr/resources/overview/gender-transition/, provides in part:

Restroom Access
Access issues related to restrooms and other sex-segregated facilities (e.g. dressing/locker rooms) will be handled with sensitivity. All employees should use the facilities that correspond with their gender identity. A transitioning employee will not, for example, be required to use the restroom of their designated sex at birth.

Kline School of Law adheres to the above noted guideline on restroom access for all employees (whether or not transitioning), and as a matter of practice given the shared access to restroom facilities among employees, students and law school guests, further applies this guideline to restroom access for every member of the law school community and all visitors to the law school. In addition, the law school has posted signage outside of all gender-segregated and all-gender restrooms in the law school buildings designating them as such, so that restroom users have the information they need to access the facilities that correspond to their gender identities.

Sex, Gender, and the Law

At Drexel Kline School of Law, we maintain a professional development fund that provides an allocation to each of our J.D. students to support the pursuit of professional development and career opportunities. Our LGBTQ+ students are welcome to direct the use of their professional development allocation toward LGBTQ+ focused learning and/or career services opportunities. Similarly, our LGBTQ+ student organization, OUTLaw, receives a discretionary budget for use during each academic year, some or all of which may be used to facilitate LGBTQ+ focused learning and/or career opportunities. OUTLaw also collaborates with the law school’s Assistant Dean of Diversity, Inclusion and Student Life and Diversity and Inclusion Committee to bring LGBTQ+ focused learning, career and networking opportunities to the law school throughout the year.