• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • BREAKING: Save the Date for the 2021 Lavender Law® Conference and Career Fair - July 28-30! Read More >
  • BREAKING: Check out Lavender Law 365™, the LGBT Bar's inclusion coaching and consulting program! Read More >
MENU
The L.G.B.T. Bar

  • Lavender Law

    Annual Conference


  • Membership

    Join Us!


  • Lavender Law 365

    Inclusion Consulting

    • About
    • About Us
    • Leadership
    • Volunteer
    • Careers & Internships
    • News
    • Organization Financials
    • Need a Lawyer?
    • Contact Us
    • Programs
    • Advocacy
    • Allies
    • Awards
    • Bar Affiliates
    • Job Board
    • Judicial Nuts & Bolts Academy
    • Lavender Law 365™
    • Law Schools
    • Law Students
    • Lavender Link
    • Webinars and Member Call-Ins
    • Member Practice Area Groups
    • Mental Health Resources
    • Racial Justice Resource Library
    • Events & Sponsorship
    • Annual
    • Upcoming Events
    • Out & Proud Corporate Counsel Receptions
    • Event Photos
    • Donate
    • Donate Now
    • Justice Council
    • Ways to Give
    • Lavender Law
    • Success Story Blog
    • Become a Sponsor
    • Membership
    • Become a Member
    • Renew Membership
    • Member Log In
    • Member Spotlight Blog
    • Community Forums
  • Connect, Share Knowledge, and Succeed Within the LGBTQ+ and Ally Legal Community.

    Climate Survey 2020

    Washburn University School of Law

    April 29, 2020

    Question 1 provided each school with a field to confirm or update their nondiscrimination statement.
     
    2. Does your law school intentionally seek out LGBTQ+ prospective students?
    Yes
    a. If ‘yes,’ how and where are your efforts directed?

    We intentionally seek out LGBTQ+ prospective students. We do this by sending directed emails to all students who identify as LGBTQ+ through LSAC. We have also met directly with our undergraduate LGBTQ+ student organization, and we have sent information about events to diversity offices and LGBTQ+ offices at various state and region-wide undergraduate institutions. If a prospective student connects with us and self-identifies as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, we will try to connect them with a current student or alum who is also a member of the community.

    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:

    Our law school application states: 

    Gender/LGBTQ Washburn Law recognizes that gender is not binary. Consequently, regardless of which gender option you selected from the options above, feel free to share any additional information with us here. (preferred pronouns, etc.) 

    Do you identify as a member of the LGBTQ community or as a lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, or queer person? ____ Yes ____ No

     If you are not “out” and would like Washburn Law to maintain your identity status as confidential, please check “yes” below. ____ Yes ____ No 

    Please feel free to share any comments about your answer in the box below. If you find this space to be insufficient, you may include an addendum on this topic. 

    b. If 'yes,' how many students are currently enrolled at your law school in total?:
    303 Students
    c. If 'yes,' how many self-identified LGBTQ+ students are currently enrolled at your law school, in total?:
    We do not yet have three years of data to answer this question.
    Lesbian
    Washburn Law does not require that students identify how or why they identify as LGBTQ. Consequently, data to answer this question and the following sub-questions is unavailable.
    Gay
    Answer left blank
    Bisexual/ pansexual
    Answer left blank
    Transgender / nonbinary
    Answer left blank
    Queer or gender/sexual orientation minority
    Answer left blank
    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:

    For faculty we recruit through the AALS faculty recruitment process. That process allows applicants to self-identify as LGBTQ+. As part of the hiring process, Washburn takes into account many factors, including the diversity of its faculty and staff.

    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?
    34
    10. How many self-identified LGBTQ+ faculty are employed by your law school in total?
    Zero
    Lesbian
    Zero
    Gay
    Zero
    Bisexual/Pansexual
    Zero
    Transgender /Nonbinary
    Zero
    Queer or gender/sexual orientation minority
    Zero
    11. How many self-identified LGBTQ+ faculty of color does your law school currently employ in total?
    Zero
    12. How many staff/administrators (not faculty) are employed by your law school?
    28
    13. How many self-identified LGBTQ+ staff/administrators are employed by your law school in total?
    1
    Lesbian
    Zero
    Gay
    1
    Bisexual/Pansexual
    Zero
    Transgender/Nonbinary
    Zero
    Queer or gender / sexual orientation minority
    Zero
    14. How many self-identified LGBTQ+ staff/administrators of color does your law school currently employ in total?
    Zero
    15. 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 #15, 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 #15a AND/OR if you answered 'yes' or 'unsure' to #15b, please summarize or reproduce your policy here:

    FMLA is administered according to the federal regulations. Health insurance is based on the marriage status – regardless of sex. Surrogate mother coverage is the same as birth mother except if the petition to adopt is not filed there are no benefits for a surrogate mother. A petition to adopt the child must be filed within 90 days of birth. Insurance will not wait for the adoption to be final prior to paying birth mother benefits; however the adopting parents must have filed a petition for the adoption. There is no benefit for the surrogate mother in the event of miscarriage or stillbirth.

    16. Does your law school offer transition-related health benefits including hormone therapy, gender counseling, gender-affirming surgeries, etc. to transgender employees and/or employees who are undergoing gender transition?
    Yes
    a. If 'yes' or ‘unsure,’ please summarize or reproduce your policy here:

    For the purpose of health insurance, transgender benefits are not excluded. We also offer an employee assistance program.

    17. 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 #17, 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 #17a AND/OR if you answered 'yes' or 'unsure' to #17b, please summarize or reproduce your policy here

    Students may purchase health insurance through a third-party provider, and can go beyond individual coverage to cover a lawful same-sex spouse or lawful same-sex domestic partner. Medically necessary in-vitro fertilization or any other medically aided insemination procedure is covered.

    No student receives family medical leave, parental leave, or adoptive benefits as an employee would, but all students receive consideration for absences due to family duties and emergencies as are consistent with the attendance policies in place under ABA accreditation requirements.

    18. Does your school offer the same transition-related healthcare benefits to students and their partners/spouses who are transgender or undergoing gender transition?
    No
    19. 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 non-binary patients?
    Yes
    b. If you answered 'yes' or 'unsure' to #19a, please provide the basis for your answer (i.e., counseling center language, etc.):

    Health Services Director’s Response: I am so glad to hear this survey is asking about care for our LGBTQ+ students! Sam and I, along with the rest of SHS staff have all been through ALLY training on campus. We have each completed multiple hours of continuing education courses through the Fenway Institute and the National LGBT health education center. We have inclusive language on our clinic forms and in in our health screening questions. I worked with a group of MSN students a few years ago to create care pathways for our transgender students at various levels of their transition. I was a presenter on this topic for the Kansas Center for Cultural Competency Advancement in Spring of 2018. We have worked with Diversity and Inclusion on campus for “Gaypril” events and other education opportunities. Sam and I are both listed as resource people on campus for our LGBTQ+ students. We have helpful links on our webpages for further information on these topics. 

    Counseling Services Director’s Response: My formal training comes from a graduate course in ethics and diversity. The texts we utilized were Addressing Cultural Complexities in Practice by Hays and Counseling the Culturally Diverse, Theory and Practice, by Sue and Sue. I mention the texts because Sue and Sue are the “go to” in the field for cultural competency literature. Since then, webinars & seminars related to my advocacy credential, ALLY training on campus, and individual therapy work with our LGBTQ+ population here on campus have been my primary means of maintaining culturally competent practice for this population. When needed, I’ve also reconnected with supervisors and mentors for specific guidance in treatment and practice with LGBTQ+ clients. 

    Additional University Counselor’s Response: My training background and updates are similar to Crystal’s experience. My formal training is through my graduate program course in working with diverse populations (using the Sue and Sue text Crystal mentioned). Since then, I continue to search out my own readings and resources, consult with experienced supervisors on specific therapeutic cases or issues, and pursue trainings including the ALLY training and various continuing education courses. 

    Campus Advocate Response: I participate in webinars that focus on advocacy for LGBTQ populations.  We all have participated in the Ally training offered at Washburn.  I also actively seek out literature related to the LGBTQ  populations and their increased risk factors for violence/discrimination and how to best support them.

    20. Does your law school provide single-stall restrooms available to people of all genders in each law school building?
    Yes
    a. If 'yes,' please describe how the single-stall restroom(s) is/are identified (i.e., what does the signage say, is it identified on building maps and online resources), the number of single-stall restrooms available in each law school building, and whether these are accessible for people with disabilities in each building or floor

    Identified by picture signs, accessible for people with disabilities in each building.

    21. Does your law school have a restroom policy applicable to gender-segregated (i.e., "Women's Restroom" and "Men's Restroom") facilities which ensures that transgender students/staff/administrators/faculty have access to facilities that match their gender identity?
    No
    22. Does your law school have one or more annual LGBTQ+ specific course offerings (e.g., LGBTQ+ Law and Policy, Sexual Orientation and the Law, Gender and the Law (focused on trans-inclusive materials), etc.)?
    Included in other courses
    b. If you answered 'no, but LGBTQ+ content is included in other courses' to #22, please list course names AND approximately how many hours of course time is dedicated to LGBTQ+ content for each course:

    Constitutional Law II: 2-3 hours
    Comparative Constitutional Law: 1 hour
    Int’l Human Rights Law: 1 hour
    Family Law: 4 hours

    23. Does your law school have an active LGBTQ+ law student group that is supported by the administration?
    Yes
    24. 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:

    Washburn Law participates in several diversity career fairs, including: the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association Heartland Diversity Legal Job Fair, the Cook County Bar Association Minority Job Fair, the Rocky Mountain Diversity Legal Career Fair, the Twin Cities Diversity in Practice program, and the Lavender Law® Career Fair.

    Our LGBTQ+ organization (Genders & Sexualities Alliance, or GSA) is given the same seed money from student activity fees to participate in learning and career service opportunities as the other approved organizations. The organization may choose to pay the registration fee for members to attend Lavender Law or other LGBTQ+-focused learning and/or career service opportunities, and students sometimes attend the Heartland Diversity Job Fair, for which there isn’t a registration fee. GSA also sponsors LGBTQ+ attorney Lunch & Learns. 

    We host programming geared toward the LGBTQ+ population and educating our students/faculty on LGBTQ+ issues. For example, GSA applied for and just received funding from the ABA Law Student Division to help co-sponsor, with the law school and university, a Lunch & Learn presentation by Professor Jeremiah Ho this March regarding his article “Queer Sacrifice in Masterpiece Cakeshop,” soon to be published by the Yale Journal of Law and Feminism.

    25. 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 #25, does that process specifically identify sexual orientation AND/OR gender identity/expression as protected categories?
    Yes, both
    b. If 'yes' to #25, does the policy set out a clear hate bias/incident reporting process for faculty, staff/administrators, and students to utilize if necessary?
    Yes
    26. 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
    27. 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.
    No
    28. 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 new Dean is very invested in supporting the LGBTQ+ community, as are the faculty. Dean Pratt received the Philip J. McConnaughay award for outstanding achievement in diversity-related work and has served on a Commission for LGBTQ Equity. 

    We are a small law school (303 students) that provides an open-door, supportive, and welcoming environment to our students, which tends to be echoed by the student body. Each entering class is broken into small groups of approximately 5 students led by trained and rigorously selected upper-class law students who provide guidance and support to students during their first semester. Sometimes the leaders are from the LGBTQ+ community. All groups are told about our LGBTQ organization and given the contact information of the officers. Each entering student also has the opportunity to meet with LGBTQ officers during the Opportunity Fair each semester. 

    The university provides excellent ALLY training multiple times each semester, which is open to all faculty, staff, and students. The university also hosts a Gender Brown Bag Series, which gives faculty, staff, students, and community members the opportunity to come together over the noon hour and discuss gender issues. The law school provides diversity and inclusion training and discussion at faculty meetings and at the staff retreats.

    Many of our faculty and staff attend events sponsored by the local alternative community and support their causes and organizations.  Our Associate Dean for Centers and External Programs has given pro bono assistance to Positive Connections, a local non-profit support organization for sexual health and support services, including HIV and other issues. Assistance has been given with legal issues, including sale and purchase of the commercial property for their current site as well as providing board member training for their governing board.

    The law school regularly hosts programming geared toward the LGBTQ+ population and educating our students/faculty on LGBTQ+ issues. 

    Last year, Washburn Law partnered with the Kansas Federal Bar Association as the only regional law school to live stream a full day Diversity in the Law continuing legal education program from the Federal District Court in Kansas City.  Washburn Law professors and a student presented on an afternoon panel session entitled, “LGBTQ V. RELIGIOUS FREEDOM” specifically addressing current legal issues facing these groups from a constitutional and political context.

    Washburn Law won the LSAC Midwest Region Diversity Matters Award last year for its hosting of  “Q&A: Queers and Allies Discover the Law” LGBTQ Discover Law Day Event—a full day of programming designed for HS and college students with an interest in learning about the current state of the law as it pertains to the LGBTQ community. Presenters addressed various issues, including same-sex couples and marriage, and name and gender marker changes. The event featured a panel of current LGBTQ law students and LGBTQ Washburn Law alumni attorneys discussing their law school experiences.

    Primary Sidebar

    Survey 2020

    • Union University, Albany Law School
    • Boston University School of Law
    • Brigham Young University, J. Reuben Clark Law School
    • Brooklyn Law School
    • California Western School of Law
    • Campbell University, Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law
    • Capital University Law School
    • Case Western Reserve University School of Law
    • City University of New York School of Law
    • Creighton University School of Law
    • Drexel University, Thomas R. Kline School of Law
    • Elon University School of Law
    • Emory University School of Law
    • Florida International University College of Law
    • Fordham University School of Law
    • George Washington University Law School
    • Gonzaga University School of Law
    • Indiana University, Maurer School of Law
    • Lincoln Memorial University, Duncan School of Law
    • Louisiana State University, Paul M. Hebert Law Center
    • Loyola Marymount University, Loyola Law School
    • Michigan State University College of Law
    • Mitchell Hamline School of Law
    • New York University School of Law
    • North Carolina Central University School of Law
    • Northeastern University School of Law
    • Ohio State University, Moritz College of Law
    • Penn State Dickinson Law
    • Penn State University, Penn State Law
    • Roger Williams University School of Law
    • Santa Clara University School of Law
    • Seattle University School of Law
    • South Texas College of Law Houston
    • Southern Illinois University School of Law
    • Southern Methodist University, Dedman School of Law
    • Southern University Law Center
    • Southwestern Law School
    • St. John’s University School of Law
    • Stetson University College of Law
    • Temple University, James E. Beasley School of Law
    • Tulane University Law School
    • University of Akron School of Law
    • University of Alabama School of Law
    • University of Arizona, James E. Rogers College of Law
    • University of Arkansas at Little Rock, William H. Bowen School of Law
    • University of California, Berkeley School of Law
    • University of California, Davis School of Law
    • University of California, Irvine School of Law
    • University of Colorado Law School
    • University of Connecticut School of Law
    • University of Detroit Mercy School of Law
    • University of Florida, Levin College of Law
    • University of Georgia School of Law
    • University of Houston Law Center
    • University of Illinois at Chicago, John Marshall Law School
    • University of Kansas School of Law
    • University of Kentucky, J. David Rosenberg College of Law
    • University of Louisville, Louis D. Brandeis School of Law
    • University of Maryland, Francis King Carey School of Law
    • University of Miami School of Law
    • University of Minnesota Law School
    • University of Mississippi School of Law
    • University of Nebraska College of Law
    • University of New Mexico School of Law
    • University of Oklahoma College of Law
    • University of Oregon School of Law
    • University of Pennsylvania, Carey Law School
    • University of Pittsburgh School of Law
    • University of Richmond School of Law
    • University of South Carolina School of Law
    • University of Southern California, Gould School of Law
    • University of Tennessee College of Law
    • University of Texas School of Law
    • University of the District of Columbia, David A. Clarke School of Law
    • University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law
    • University of Toledo College of Law
    • University of Utah, S.J. Quinney College of Law
    • University of Washington School of Law
    • Vanderbilt University School of Law
    • Vermont Law School
    • Washburn University School of Law
    • West Virginia University College of Law
    • Western New England University School of Law
    • Widener University Commonwealth Law School
    • Widener University Delaware Law School
    • William & Mary Law School
    • Yeshiva University, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law
  • LGBTBar Logo

    THE NATIONAL LGBT BAR ASSOCIATION

    1701 Rhode Island Ave NW, Washington, DC 20036 | Phone: (202) 637-7661 | E-mail: info@lgbtbar.org

    • About
    • About Us
    • Leadership
    • Volunteer
    • Careers & Internships
    • News
    • Organization Financials
    • Need a Lawyer?
    • Contact Us
    • Programs
    • Advocacy
    • Allies
    • Awards
    • Bar Affiliates
    • Job Board
    • Judicial Nuts & Bolts Academy
    • Lavender Law 365™
    • Law Schools
    • Law Students
    • Lavender Link
    • Webinars and Member Call-Ins
    • Member Practice Area Groups
    • Mental Health Resources
    • Racial Justice Resource Library
    • Events & Sponsorship
    • Annual
    • Upcoming Events
    • Out & Proud Corporate Counsel Receptions
    • Event Photos
    • Donate
    • Donate Now
    • Justice Council
    • Ways to Give
    • Lavender Law
    • Success Story Blog
    • Become a Sponsor
    • Membership
    • Become a Member
    • Renew Membership
    • Member Log In
    • Member Spotlight Blog
    • Community Forums
    Privacy Policy
    © Copyright 2020 The National LGBT Bar Association. All rights reserved.