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Climate Survey 2022

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

Mitchell Hamline School of Law

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?

In our recruitment efforts, we have attended such events as the Minneapolis Pride festival and other LGBTQ+ community and national events. Additionally, our President and Dean of the Law school is an open member of the LGBTQ+ community and works with Admissions to provide support for LGBTQ+ recruitment initiatives. We also provide passive materials on our recruitment tables such as LGBTQ+ friendly buttons and visual representation.

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

Our law school provides information to all admitted students on all affinity groups and organizations they can join, such as Out!Law and Black Law Students Association.

 

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:

Our applicants can choose to disclose if they have a disability, if they’ve served in the military, and if they’re non-binary, LGBTQ+. They can also choose their pronouns.

b. If 'yes,' how many students are currently enrolled at your law school in total?:
1229
c. If 'yes,' how many self-identified LGBTQ+ students are currently enrolled at your law school, in total?:
11% (135)
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:

Open positions are broadly advertised and include minority bar associations such as the Lavender Bar Association and Diversity in Practice. Human Resources also collaborates with the office of Diversity and Inclusion to recruit and retain diverse faculty and staff, including LGBTQ+ individuals. Additionally, the Human Resources Office and the Office of DEI collaborate on a database that houses local and national community-based organizations, Affinity Groups and professional organizations that serve protected class employees. We send out to the email list our job postings. There are close to one hundred LGBTQ+ groups in that database. Moreover, we are intentional in building meaningful relationships with local organizations by volunteering and serving in the community.

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?
45
10. How many self-identified LGBTQ+ faculty are employed by your law school in total?
Current reporting not available. However, we are committed to updating our protected class fields in the application process to include the following: agender, Androgyne, Demigender, (cis) man, (cis) woman, genderqueer or gender fluid, non-binary or non-conforming, transgender man, transgender woman, two spirit, additional gender identity, prefer not to disclose. We will also as the following question: Do you consider yourself a member of the LGBTQ+ community?____ Yes____ No .
a. With reference to #10, how many LGBTQ+ faculty self-identify as people of color?
Unknown
Lesbian?
Unknown
Gay?
Unknown
Bisexual/Pansexual?
Unknown
Transgender / Nonbinary?
Unknown
Queer or member of gender/sexual orientation minority group?
Unknown
11. How many staff/administrators (not faculty) are employed by your law school in total?
150
12. How many self-identified LGBTQ+ staff/administrators are employed by your law school in total?
Current reporting not available. However, we are committed to updating our protected class fields in the application process to include the following: agender, Androgyne, Demigender, (cis) man, (cis) woman, genderqueer or gender fluid, non-binary or non-conforming, transgender man, transgender woman, two spirit, additional gender identity, prefer not to disclose. We will also as the following question: Do you consider yourself a member of the LGBTQ+ community?____ Yes____ No
a. With reference to #12, how many LGBTQ+ staff/administrators self-identify as people of color?
Unknown
Lesbian?
Unknown
Gay?
Unknown
Bisexual / Pansexual?
Unknown
Transgender / Nonbinary?
Unknown
Queer or member of gender/sexual orientation minority group?
Unknown
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.)?
Answer left blank
c. If you answered 'yes' to #13a AND/OR if you answered 'yes' or 'unsure' to #13b, please summarize or reproduce your policy here:

Answer left blank.

The above-mentioned services are covered under the medical plan for all genders. Benefit Eligibility: Our comprehensive benefits package is available to employees working 20 hours or more per week. Generally, eligible dependents include spouse, children up to age 26 or disabled dependents. Family Medical Leave (FLMA): A Family Medical Leave of Absence is taken to care for an employee’s spouse, to care for a child or parent with a serious health condition or for the birth of a child and to care for the child, placement of a child for adoption or foster care. Personal Leave of Absence: The school offers a personal leave of absence for reasons not covered by an Employee Medical or Family Medical leave and may provide unpaid time off in these situations generally, up to a maximum of two (2) months.

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:

Answer left blank.

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
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 counselors operate under a short term* counseling model designed to offer support while assisting students find longer term resources as needed:
• Stress-related problems
• Academic-related problems
• Life transition issues
• Relationship or family problems
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Assessments
• Referrals
*If longer-term services are required, your MHSL counselor will refer you to providers in the community for ongoing care.

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

These restrooms are labeled as all gender and are labeled as to accessibility for each. These are also designated as such on our building maps. There are all-gender restrooms located on each floor of the building.

 

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
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 a Sexual Orientation Law course annually
a. If 'yes,' please list course names:

Sexual Orientation and the Law

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:

Answer left blank.

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
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, 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?
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?
Yes
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:

Our school is currently engaged in rigorous training regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion, which includes education and outreach related to LGBTQ+ issues.