Diversity in Law School

Nondiscrimination Policy

The University of Connecticut School of Law prohibits discrimination in education, employment, and the provision of services regardless of age, ancestry, color, national origin, marital status, race, religion, sex, sexual preference, status as a disabled veteran or veteran of the Vietnam Era, physical or mental disability or record thereof, or mental retardation. University policy also prohibits discrimination in employment on the basis of a criminal record that is not related to the position being sought, and complies with all state and federal civil rights statutes whether or not specifically cited within this statement. Law school policy prohibits discrimination in education and in the provision of services on the basis of a criminal record.

The goal of equal employment opportunity, which is embodied in federal and state laws forbidding discrimination in employment, is inherent in the ideals of the legal profession and represents a special obligation to the profession as well as the School of Law. We assume that prospective employers utilizing the services of the law school's Office of Career Services acknowledge the principle of equal opportunity for all students and graduates. We expect that their employment policies will comply with the letter and the spirit of law affording equal employment opportunity.

Any student who believes that he or she has been a victim of discrimination or harassment during any time in the hiring or interview process, should bring this to the attention of the Director of Career Services. Informal, confidential forms are available in our office for students to use to comment on any employer or interviewer. All complaints are kept in strict confidence. It is important for the Office of Career Services to be aware of any violation of our nondiscrimination policy so that we may address the issue appropriately.

Student Organization Contact Information

Lambda Law Students Organization

Student contacts:

James Smith
E-mail: james.smith@students.law.uconn.edu

Michael Roberts
E-mail: michael.roberts@students.law.uconn.edu

Faculty Contact Information

Susan Schmeiser
Professor
Phone: 860.570.5103
E-mail: susan.schmeiser@law.uconn.edu

Administrator Contact Information

Karen DeMeola
Assistant Dean
Phone: 860.570.5162
E-mail: karen.demeola@law.uconn.edu

Course Titles and/or Descriptions

Sexuality, Gender, and the Law

Sexuality, Gender, and the Law is offered in the fall semester. This seminar will explore the theoretical, statutory, constitutional, and historical dimensions of law's regulation of sexuality and gender. Course materials will address constitutional doctrines of privacy, equal protection, freedom of expression and freedom of association, as well as aspects of criminal, employment, and family law that construct and enforce social norms around gender and sexuality. Topics may include sexual privacy and its limits; sex and consent; discrimination in the military on the basis of gender and sexual orientation; government policies on pornography, sex education, and sexually explicit art; sex work and its regulation; gender identity and sexuality in the workplace and in educational institutions; and state control of family relationships, including marriage, custody, and adoption.

LGBT Clinic and Field Work

This clinic is offered in the spring semester. Class work focuses on the unique issues facing members of the LGBT communities. Field placement is with firms dedicated to LGBT representation.

Constitutional Law—Advanced Individual Rights

Constitutional Law—Advanced Individual Rights is offered in the spring semester.

Although not solely focused on LGBT issues, they are not ignored. This course exposes students to a broad array of materials and issues that bear directly on the nature and scope of individual liberty. The course begins by examining the conflicting demands of justice and neutrality as guiding principles for constitutional interpretation within the Fundamental Rights Debate. Through the study of case law relating to privacy, substantive due process, and equal protection, the course examines the outer limits of the law, the history and development of legal theory, and its potential application to cutting-edge issues. Issues of consent, bodily integrity, choice regarding intimate associations, gender, sexuality, racial classifications, and privacy in the age of digital technology are viewed in light of past and future trends.

Critical Identity Theory

This course examines the interplay between law and various axes of identity, including gender, race, ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, and disability status. Students in this seminar will analyze how legal definitions and legal rights (or the lack of rights) affect the construction of individual and group identities.

Domestic Partnership Benefits

As of November 12, 2008, same sex marriage became legal in the state of Connecticut. As such, all previous domestic partner benefits ceased. All of the rights and privileges attached to marriage in the state, including the ability to add a spouse to employee benefits packages, are afforded to married same-sex couples.

Additional Information

As of November 12, 2008, same-sex marriage became legal in the state of Connecticut. UConn Law is at the forefront of issues impacting the LGBT community; our faculty are writing, our alumni are litigating, and our students are active players in the legal and legislative arena, as well as in the greater LGBT movement.

We encourage students to disclose their LGBT status in either the required essay or our optional essay. We have been successful in matriculating a strong and active class of LGBT students (yes, the full acronym is represented!) and hope to continue that tradition.

Our curriculum includes courses that specifically address topics of concern to our community. In addition, we allow students to take on special research projects in order to further define their expertise on issues impacting LGBT and intersex communities.

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