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Climate Survey 2022

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

University of Wisconsin Law School

March 23, 2022

Question 1 provided each school with a field to confirm or update their nondiscrimination statement.
 
a. If you answered 'it is incorrect,' please provide the URL from your school's website with the corrected version

https://law.wisc.edu/career/recruiting.html

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 addition to the admissions office recruiting students actively and our application to law school allowing people to identify as they wish, our QLaw student organization helps with the recruiting of students by calling admitted students and being available to answer any questions they might have about the law school. Applicants are also directed to the student organization and faculty directory to research faculty and student 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:

Students can identify on their application to the law school and will soon be able to update their identification in the Student Information System (SIS) after enrolling in law school.

b. If 'yes,' how many students are currently enrolled at your law school in total?:
757
c. If 'yes,' how many self-identified LGBTQ+ students are currently enrolled at your law school, in total?:
Unknown
d. If 'yes,' how many of your currently enrolled LGBTQ+ students also 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
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

The Stearns Shaw scholarship, The Albers-Alexander Scholarship, the Qlaw book scholarship, and others funded by annual contributions.

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:

We include the University’s “Institutional Statement on Diversity” in each Position Vacancy Listing:
“Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals.  The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background – people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world.”

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

Answer left blank. 

9. How many faculty (not staff/administrators) are employed by your law school in total?
62
10. How many self-identified LGBTQ+ faculty are employed by your law school in total?
7
a. With reference to #10, how many LGBTQ+ faculty self-identify as people of color?
1
Lesbian?
3
Gay?
2
Bisexual/Pansexual?
1
Transgender / Nonbinary?
1
Queer or member of gender/sexual orientation minority group?
At least 1
11. How many staff/administrators (not faculty) are employed by your law school in total?
80
12. How many self-identified LGBTQ+ staff/administrators are employed by your law school in total?
Unknown
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?
Answer left blank
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:

Benefits like “assisted reproduction and/or adoptive benefits” are limited to whatever is covered under the State Group Health healthcare benefits package, and FMLA. See 2022 certificate of coverage: https://etf.wi.gov/its-your-choice/2022/22et-2180/download?inline= These benefits are only available to married couples (same sex or opposite sex), and no longer available through domestic partnership.

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:

Our employee State Group Health insurance may offer its members coverage based on medical necessity.
See 2022 certificate of coverage: https://etf.wi.gov/its-your-choice/2022/22et-2180/download?inline=

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?
Answer left blank
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.)?
Answer left blank
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. 

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.):

Staff

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 signs have the “male and female” silhouettes on them. There are signs that say, “You are welcome to use the restroom that is most appropriate for you. Single-stall gender-neutral are available (places in the building are then listed).

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?
Yes
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:

LGBTQ+ 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

Student organizations are eligible to apply for funding from the law school for various types of programming they wish to do.

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
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
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?
No

We collect pronouns as part of the admissions and orientation process. There is no way to enter pronouns in the Student Information System at present. Because of this, pronouns are not available on class rosters.
Students may provide pronouns on Canvas, which faculty can access. And they are listed on the student bio page for students who identified pronouns in the admissions process.

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:

There are faculty, students, and staff who are openly LGBTQ+ and are willing to be a resource, sounding board, source of community, etc., for anyone who needs it. We also recently hired our inaugural Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion who amongst other things, is charged with creating programming and providing education and resources that help to make the school a safe, inclusive, and welcoming environment for everyone.