Diversity in Law School

Nondiscrimination Policy

It is the policy of Widener University not to discriminate on the basis of sex, handicap, disability, race, age, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, marital status, or sexual or affectional preference in its educational programs, admissions policies, employment practices, financial aid, or other school-administered programs. This policy is enforced by federal law under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990. Further, in compliance with state and federal laws, Widener University will provide the following information upon request to the Assistant to the President for University Relations, Widener University, One University Place, Chester, PA 19013-5792, 610.499.4123:

1. copies of documents pertinent to the university's accreditations, approvals, or licensing by external associations, agencies, or governmental bodies;
2. reports on crime statistics and information on safety policies and procedures;
3. information regarding gender equity relative to intercollegiate athletic programs.

Comments or requests for information about services and resources for disabled students should be sent to: Dean of Students, Delaware Campus of Widener University, PO Box 7474, Wilmington, DE 19803, 302.477.2023, or Dean of Students, Harrisburg Campus of Widener University; PO Box 69381, Harrisburg, PA 17106, 717.541.3952.

Student Organization Contact Information

Outlaw is a currently active student organization on both the Delaware and Harrisburg campuses.

Faculty Contact Information

Professor John G. Culhane
Phone: 302.477.2107
E-mail: jgculhane@mail.widener.edu

Professor Tonya Evans
Phone: 717.541.1938
E-mail: tmevans@widener.edu

Professor Micah Yarbrough
Phone: 302.477.2276
E-mail: mjyarbrough@mail.widener.edu

Administrator Contact Information

Eric Kniskern
Director of Admissions
Phone: 717.541.3903
E-mail: emkniskern@widener.edu

Course Titles and/or Descriptions

Lesbian and Gay Legal Issues: Advising Same-Sex Couples and LGBT Individuals

This course surveys the laws of US jurisdictions and select foreign nations concentrating on how an attorney would apply the various laws to fact patterns involving same-sex couples. The primary focus is on creating student awareness of the sometimes subtle issues to be addressed when representing same-sex couples and gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) individuals. The course is organized to provide a foundational basis of GLBT concerns and address topics in order of occurrence over the timeline of an individual's life. The course includes issues involving youth, cohabitation/domestic partnership agreements, family planning, second parent adoptions, wills, estate planning, disposition of remains, adoption, guardianship, financial and health care powers of attorney, housing, hate crimes, and selected tax issues. The students' grades will be based on papers and assignments focused on developing skills for use in practice.

Corequisite: Constitutional Law

Seminar—HIV/AIDS and the Law

This seminar considers the legal, economic, and public health dimensions of the current HIV/AIDS crisis. Approximately the first two-thirds of the semester are taken up with a host of different topics that arise in connection with the disease:

1. What public health measures are desirable and permissible to slow or halt the spread of HIV?
2. Under what circumstances, if any, should there be a duty to disclose to another one's HIV status?
3. What public health interventions, if any, are called for in attempting to prevent perinatal transmission of HIV?
4. What responses have the criminal and tort law had to the crisis (and how are HIV+ prisoners treated)?
5. What is the future course of the disease likely to be?
6. What legal mechanisms are available to prevent discrimination based on HIV status?

Time permitting, we may also address the global response to HIV and immigration policy toward HIV-infected people. The final third of the semester is given over to student presentations of their seminar papers.

Other Courses

The following courses are not primarily focused on, but do explore lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender legal issues:

• Advanced Torts
• Family Law
• Public Health Law
• Taxation
• Nonprofit Organizations

Domestic Partnership Benefits

The university has added the ability for domestic partners of faculty and staff to obtain health care insurance through the university's health care carriers, effective July 1, 2002.

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