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  • Climate Survey 2022

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

    George Mason University, Antonin Scalia 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?

    The law school intentionally highlights to all prospective applicants the available affinity groups, including the law school’s Equity Alliance, and asks applicants to self-select any and all they may be interested in. Prospective students who indicate an interest in learning about our LGBTQ+ community are then contacted by our Admissions Office so they can be paired with a current student as part of the recruitment and admissions process.

    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:

    Students may self-identify through a diversity statement included with their application. Students may also identify on their application/post-enrollment forms with a gender identity other than their legal gender; with a preferred name other than their legal name; and by selecting their preferred pronouns. Students may edit these personal details themselves. The University’s chosen name and pronouns policy may be found here: https://universitypolicy.gmu.edu/policies/chosen-name-pronouns-policy/.

    Self-identification is optional, and students who choose to self-identify do not need to do so with a prescribed level of specificity. For example, a student may choose to self-identify as a member of the LGBTQ+ community but need not also specify whether they are gay, lesbian, bisexual/pansexual, and/or transgender/nonbinary.

    b. If 'yes,' how many students are currently enrolled at your law school in total?:
    Approximately 600 JD students and 100 in other law programs.
    c. If 'yes,' how many self-identified LGBTQ+ students are currently enrolled at your law school, in total?:
    Information that students choose to self-disclose is not tracked in the aggregate other than as noted in the "additional comments" section.
    d. If 'yes,' how many of your currently enrolled LGBTQ+ students also self-identify as people of color?
    Information that students choose to self-disclose is not tracked in the aggregate other than as noted in the "additional comments" section.
    Lesbian?
    Information that students choose to self-disclose is not tracked in the aggregate other than as noted in the "additional comments" section.
    Gay?
    Information that students choose to self-disclose is not tracked in the aggregate other than as noted in the "additional comments" section.
    Bisexual/ Pansexual?
    Information that students choose to self-disclose is not tracked in the aggregate other than as noted in the "additional comments" section.
    Transgender / Nonbinary?
    Information that students choose to self-disclose is not tracked in the aggregate other than as noted in the "additional comments" section.
    Queer or member of gender/sexual orientation minority group?
    Information that students choose to self-disclose is not tracked in the aggregate other than as noted in the "additional comments" section.

    Students self-identify through various means (e.g., admissions statements, post-enrollment forms) but the information does not get entered into a central tracking mechanism. If a student is identified as LGBTQ+ they are added to a career services student email distribution list.

    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 University’s chosen name and pronouns policy may be found here: https://universitypolicy.gmu.edu/policies/chosen-name-pronouns-policy/.

    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:

    Recruitment efforts are directed to the fora where there is the broadest potential reach. For example, faculty recruitment efforts include the largest faculty job forum (offered by the Association of American Law Schools). There is also targeted outreach to publications designated for the specific category of staff/faculty/administrators being sought, regardless of geographic location, to encourage all individuals with related experience to apply.

    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

    Staff/faculty/administrators may self-identify on their post-offer/hire forms, and at any point during their employment, with a gender identity other than their legal gender; with a preferred name other than their legal name; and by selecting their preferred pronouns. Employee may edit these personal details themselves. The University’s chosen name and pronouns policy may be found here: https://universitypolicy.gmu.edu/policies/chosen-name-pronouns-policy/.

    9. How many faculty (not staff/administrators) are employed by your law school in total?
    255
    10. How many self-identified LGBTQ+ faculty are employed by your law school in total?
    There is no formal process for employees to identify as LGBTQ+, and information regarding how many employees identify as LGBTQ+ is not tracked in the aggregate.
    11. How many staff/administrators (not faculty) are employed by your law school in total?
    124
    12. How many self-identified LGBTQ+ staff/administrators are employed by your law school in total?
    There is no formal process for employees to identify as LGBTQ+, and information regarding how many employees identify as LGBTQ+ is not tracked in the aggregate.
    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.)?
    Unsure
    c. If you answered 'yes' to #13a AND/OR if you answered 'yes' or 'unsure' to #13b, please summarize or reproduce your policy here:

    The University is a public state institution and, as a result, its employee benefits are set by the Virginia Department of Human Resource Management. According to the Commonwealth’s Equal Employment Opportunity Policy, all aspects of human resource management must be conducted without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, veterans status, political affiliation, disability, genetic information, and pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions. We answered “unsure,” however, because each employee’s benefits are determined, in part, on which health insurance plan/policy the employee selects.

    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?
    Unsure
    a. If 'yes' or ‘unsure,’ please summarize or reproduce your policy here:

    The University is a public state institution and, as a result, its employee benefits are set by the Virginia Department of Human Resource Management (VDHRM). According to a VDHRM guidance memorandum, as employees undergo a gender transition, they may utilize leave and other benefits according to policy requirements. (See https://www.dhrm.virginia.gov/docs/default-source/hrpolicy/policyguides/gender-transition-guidance-revised.pdf?sfvrsn=0). We selected “unsure” because policy requirements will depend, in part, on the health insurance plan/option selected by the employee.

    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?
    Yes
    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?
    Yes
    b. If you answered yes to #15, are those student benefit plans inclusive of the specific needs of LGBTQ+ students (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 students of all genders, etc.)?
    Yes
    c. If you answered yes to #15a AND/OR if you answered yes or unsure to #15b, please summarize or reproduce your policy here

    Answer left blank.

    The student benefit plans do not offer adoptive benefits to any student.

    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?
    Yes
    a. If 'yes,' please summarize or reproduce your policy here:

    https://www.aetnastudenthealth.com/schools/gmu/pdbs2122.pdf; https://www.aetnastudenthealth.com/schools/gmu/sbc2122.pdf

    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.):

    We consulted with the University’s Student Health Services office and Counseling and Psychological Services office and confirmed that on-campus health care providers are trained to ensure they can provide culturally and clinically competent care to LGBTQ+ patients, particularly transgender and non-binary patients. All healthcare staff are required to complete diversity and ethics training through the university. In addition, staff are trained on cultural competency and safe zone training administered through the University’s LGBTQ office. Student Health Services also administers a patient satisfaction survey asking patients if felt they were treated with respect and dignity, in order to monitor our patients’ experiences. Patients are asked about their preferred name and pronoun and the information is noted in the patient’s medical chart so that the patient’s preferences around identity are respected. Please also see GMU Student Health Services patient rights: https://shs.gmu.edu/about/#ptrights.

    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?
    No

    Unisex bathrooms are available to law students in the building adjacent to the law school (and connected to the law school building on all non-parking levels). The unisex bathrooms are proximately close to law school classrooms making them easily accessible to law students. The law school administration explored converting one or more bathrooms in the law school building (built in 1997-1999) to a unisex/gender-neutral bathroom but was informed that all of the existing Men’s and Women’s restrooms are multi-fixture (toilet) restrooms, including those in the library space, and the University could not convert one to a single-use or gender-neutral restroom because the total fixture count per floor is a building code-required number based on the floor occupant load.

    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?
    No

    The law school has no policy that directly applies to restroom facilities and relies instead on the University’s non-discrimination policy that the University is committed to “providing equal opportunity and an educational and work environment free from any discrimination on the basis of . . . sex . . . sexual orientation, gender identity, [and] gender expression . . . .” (See University Policy 1201, Non Discrimination Policy, available at: https://universitypolicy.gmu.edu/policies/non-discrimination-policy/.)

    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 both a Gender Identity Law course and a Sexual Orientation Law course, annually
    a. If 'yes,' please list course names:

    Sexuality and the Law (Law 390). LGBTQ+ content is also included in other courses (e.g., Constitutional Law, Legislation).

    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?
    The group receives funding from a source other than the administration

    Annual funding for student organizations is provided by the University. The funds are dispersed to student organizations through the law school’s Student Bar Association. Every active student organization is eligible to request annual funding through this process.

    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:

    Each year the law school sends students to conferences, including Creating Change and Lavender Law. The law school pays the registration fee for the Lavender Law Career Fair and provides stipends for travel costs. Funding is provided for an annual Transgender Name & Gender Marker Change Legal Clinic, co-hosted with the Bar. Our Equity Alliance group also receives funding to hold regular events, such as movie screenings and speaker panels.

    23. Does your law school have a hate/bias incident policy that faculty, staff/administrators, and students are required to follow?
    No

    The University maintains a bias incident reporting system that complements, but does not substitute for, University procedures regarding the reporting of discrimination, including sexual misconduct, to the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. The University’s non-discrimination policy is mandatory. The separate bias incident reporting process is optional but strongly encouraged. According to the University’s website: “Bias incidents can hinder our capacity to work with, teach, and learn from one another. If you observe or experience an incident of bias, we encourage you to file a bias incident report to Mason’s Bias Incident Reporting Team.” It goes on to explain that a bias incident is an act of “discrimination, harassment, intimidation, violence or criminal offense committed against any person, group or property that appears to be motivated by prejudice or bias.” The law school’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion page links directly to the Bias Incident Report page (where information and a reporting link is available) as well as to the University’s Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

    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

    The training is provided through the University and is not law school specific (i.e., it applies to all university staff/faculty/administrators).

    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, mandatory for all students
    Yes, optional for all students
    a. If you selected other, please describe your diversity and inclusion training options:

    The law school includes mandatory diversity and inclusion training as part of student orientation that includes discussion of LGBTQ+ and anti-racism. There is additional diversity and inclusion training offered for students that is optional including a DE&I certificate program. The optional training for faculty, staff, administrators, and students does include robust LGBTQ+ and anti-racism curriculum.

    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?
    Yes
    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?
    Answer left blank

    Students may provide their personal pronouns and honorifics on their application/post-enrollment forms. Students may edit these personal details themselves.

    The University’s Chosen Name and Pronouns Policy is available here: https://universitypolicy.gmu.edu/policies/chosen-name-pronouns-policy/. The policy provides: “The University will ordinarily use a Chosen Name and Pronouns in university communications and reporting except when use of a Legal Name is required by the University or by law. By way of example but not limitation, Chosen Names will be reflected on class rosters, in Blackboard, in Patriot Web (including Degree Works), and in directory listings.”

    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:
     

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