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Climate Survey 2022

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

University of Tennessee College 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?
No
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:

We ask for this information in the following manner:
1. Do you self-identify as Lesbian, Gay or Bisexual?
2. Do you self-identify as transgender or any other gender identity?
3. What are your preferred pronouns (optional)?

b. If 'yes,' how many students are currently enrolled at your law school in total?:
365
c. If 'yes,' how many self-identified LGBTQ+ students are currently enrolled at your law school, in total?:
25
d. If 'yes,' how many of your currently enrolled LGBTQ+ students also self-identify as people of color?
5
Lesbian?
Unknown
Gay?
Unknown
Bisexual/ Pansexual?
Unknown
Transgender / Nonbinary?
1
Queer or member of gender/sexual orientation minority group?
Unknown
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?
Yes
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:

Answer left blank. 

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?
36
10. How many self-identified LGBTQ+ faculty are employed by your law school in total?
2
Gay?
2
11. How many staff/administrators (not faculty) are employed by your law school in total?
53
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.)?
No
c. If you answered 'yes' to #13a AND/OR if you answered 'yes' or 'unsure' to #13b, please summarize or reproduce your policy here:

Please see University of Tennessee FML policy via this link. https://policy.tennessee.edu/wp-content/uploads/policytech/system-wide/hr/HR0338-Family-and-Medical-Leave.pdf

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?
No
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.)?
Unsure
c. If you answered yes to #15a AND/OR if you answered yes or unsure to #15b, please summarize or reproduce your policy here

https://www.studenthealthprograms.com/lib/file/manager/2021-1268-1_Certificate.pdf

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.studenthealthprograms.com/lib/file/manager/2021-1268-1_Certificate.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?
Unsure
b. If you answered 'yes' or 'unsure' to #17a, please provide the basis for your answer (i.e., counseling center language, etc.):

The Counseling Center website details the following about its commitment to care, which suggests training for specific needs of patients. (https://counselingcenter.utk.edu)
Caring for All Vols
The Student Counseling Center is committed to providing high-quality care and services to all UT students. Regardless of your race, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, gender expression, physical ability, personal creeds or spiritual beliefs, national origin, or socioeconomic status, we pledge to create an affirming and welcoming environment. We achieve this by providing culturally responsive counseling services, specialized training for our staff, participation in community events that promote diversity and inclusion, and exemplifying a welcoming, compassionate presence within the Volunteer community.

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

An all-gender restroom was created on the ground level of the college last year. There are two stalls in the restroom. The signage shows a male, female and wheelchair symbol. The restroom is accessible to people with disabilities with use of elevator to ground floor.

Information regarding the availability of the restroom was emailed to all faculty, staff and students after the completion. In addition, it is listed on college directories throughout the building and on campus directories for the university.

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?
My law school has all gender-neutral restroom facilities; we have no gender-segregated restrooms
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:

Law 863 – Sex, Gender & Justice

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 College of Law provides support for travel to networking events for the LAMBDA Law student organization.

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, sexual orientation only
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?
No
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
a. If you selected other, please describe your diversity and inclusion training options:

SafeZone and Pride Center trainings, Multi-Cultural Student Life programs and workshops, Dean of Students initiatives, and individual departmental programs.

Clarifications: The resources, trainings, and policies referred to above #23-25 are university- wide and predominantly housed within the Division of Student Life and Division of Diversity and Engagement.

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.)?
People are allowed to use them but the school doesn't facilitate or request it
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

The faculty make the decision in their classes about pronoun use.

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:

No additional information to share.