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Climate Survey 2022

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

Penn State Dickinson 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?

Penn State Dickinson Law actively recruits LGBTQ+ applicants through intentional outreach. Applicants are given the opportunity to self-identify on the admissions application as LGBTQ+. Our institution uses that information to connect matriculating students to mentors, resources, and organizations.

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:

The admissions application allows students to identify as LGBTQ+. We also welcome diversity addendums should a student want to share more about their experiences and potential contributions to the law school.

b. If 'yes,' how many students are currently enrolled at your law school in total?:
256
c. If 'yes,' how many self-identified LGBTQ+ students are currently enrolled at your law school, in total?:
Answer left blank.
d. If 'yes,' how many of your currently enrolled LGBTQ+ students also self-identify as people of color?
Answer left blank.
Lesbian?
Answer left blank.
Gay?
Answer left blank.
Bisexual/ Pansexual?
Answer left blank.
Transgender / Nonbinary?
Answer left blank.
Queer or member of gender/sexual orientation minority group?
Answer left blank.

The data is collected at the time of admission. The data can change as students grow personally after applying. On average, 20% of the students in our entering classes identify as LGBTQ+.

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:

Penn State Dickinson Law adheres to the University’s nondiscrimination policies and follows best practices to diversify the pool of candidates for each open position. A number of faculty and staff openly identify as LGBTQ+.

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?
57
10. How many self-identified LGBTQ+ faculty are employed by your law school in total?
6
a. With reference to #10, how many LGBTQ+ faculty self-identify as people of color?
4
Lesbian?
N/A
Gay?
N/A
Bisexual/Pansexual?
N/A
Transgender / Nonbinary?
N/A
Queer or member of gender/sexual orientation minority group?
N/A

We do not collect specific identities to be able to break them down as requested.

11. How many staff/administrators (not faculty) are employed by your law school in total?
15
12. How many self-identified LGBTQ+ staff/administrators are employed by your law school in total?
2
Lesbian?
N/A
Gay?
N/A
Bisexual / Pansexual?
N/A
Transgender / Nonbinary?
N/A
Queer or member of gender/sexual orientation minority group?
N/A

We do not collect specific identities to be able to break them down as requested.

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:

Penn State’s benefits policy explicitly includes same-sex spouses: https://hr.psu.edu/benefits/eligible-dependents.

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:

All of Penn State’s policies are outlined here: https://studentaffairs.psu.edu/csgd/transgender-and-non-binary-penn-state.

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

The Penn State Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) is offered through First Student College Student Health Insurance, underwritten by United Healthcare Student Resources.

You can learn more about the plan by visiting the First Student website: https://www.firststudent.com/school_page/pennsylvania-state-university/home-pennsylvania-state-university/.

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:

Details are posted here: https://studentaffairs.psu.edu/csgd/transgender-and-non-binary-penn-state.

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?
Unsure
b. If you answered 'yes' or 'unsure' to #17a, please provide the basis for your answer (i.e., counseling center language, etc.):

These services are provided by external counselors. The counselors undergo cultural competency and diversity training.

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

The law school has both single use and multi-stall all-gender restrooms.

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?
Yes
a. If "yes," please provide the language of your school's restroom use policy and details on where this policy may be found by the law school community:

We follow Penn State’s policy: “In keeping with the University’s policy of nondiscrimination and the commitment to inclusion, the University allows students, staff, faculty, and visitors to use the restroom or facility that corresponds to their gender identity.”

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

We offer Gender, Sexuality and the Law annually. Many other courses also include these topics including Constitutional Law II, Education Law, Family Law, and more.

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:

The law school maintains a student travel fund in the Academic & Student Services Office.

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. 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:

Penn State Dickinson Law has a sincere commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We are actively building a model anti-racist law school that celebrates the intersectional identities of our community.