16.1  Communications

[Reserved]

16.2  Disabilities

Students with disabilities that affect their mobility or that require instructional accommodations must contact the McBurney Disability Center for assessment. The Law School's Assistant Dean for Student Affairs is responsible for all such accommodations after the McBurney staff has completed the assessment. The Assistant Dean for Student Affairs cannot make accommodations until the McBurney Center has assessed the student and determined the appropriate accommodations.  All questions and concerns regarding these matters should be addressed to the Assistant Dean. Current contact information for the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs.

16.3  Temporary Disabilities and Pregnancy

Students who develop temporary disabilities or who are pregnant should contact the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs for information and assistance. In some situations the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs may be able to reschedule an examination or provide a necessary accommodation during an exam or to provide other in-class accommodation.  Students seeking temporary parking permits should contact Transportation Services for the UW campus at Accessible Transporation Options. While the campus provides for temporary UW disability parking permits, the limited parking near the Law School during school hours restricts the usefulness of the permits.

Additionally, for new mothers, the Law School has a Lactation Room for nursing and pumping.  Please contact the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs for more information. View all UW Lactation Rooms.

16.4  Freedom from Discrimination and Sexual Harassment

Under Wisconsin law, no student may be denied admission to, participation in or the benefits of any service, program, course, or facility or be discriminated against in any of these because of the student's race, color, creed, religion, sex, gender (including identity and expression), national origin, disability, ancestry, age, sexual orientation, pregnancy, marital status or parental status.

In addition to the above, discrimination on the basis of ethnicity or military status is similarly prohibited.

See Wis. Stat. Sec. 36.12, Law School Rule 4.15, and Law School Rules: Appendix E. The UW's Office of Equity and Diversity publishes the current laws and policies against discrimination on their website. Current procedures for enforcement are available at the same website. The University’s Dean of Students Office has a designated Bias Response Coordinator, who may be contacted to report any bias incident a student experiences or observes. The Dean of Student’s Office is located at 70 Bascom Hall and the phone number is 608-263-5700. In the case of sexual harassment or violence, dating or domestic violence, stalking, sex discrimination, or retaliation, students are also encouraged to contact the University’s Title IX Coordinator at 608-890-3788 or TitleIX_Coordinator@wisc.edu.

The Assistant Dean for Student Affairs can also connect students with the University resources. Additionally, the Office of Equity and Diversity is located in Room 179A, Bascom Hall, 500 Lincoln Drive and the phone number is 608-263-2378.

16.4.1  Harassment

The UW-Madison campus considers sexual harassment a community concern because of the negative impacts on the quality of work and education for the individuals involved and for others in the broader educational community who also suffer the impacts of sexual harassment. Under UW campus policies, "sexual harassment" includes unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature when:

Submission to such conduct is a condition of employment or academic progress;
Submission to or rejection of such conduct influences employment or academic decisions; or
The conduct interferes with an employee's work or a student's academic career, or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work or learning environment.

Conduct that creates a hostile environment is prohibited along with retaliation for rejection of unwelcome sexual conduct.

In addition, campus policies also govern some consensual relationships. These policies apply to romantic and/or sexual relationships between two individuals who have a reporting or evaluative relationship. The individual with the power or status advantage is held accountable for failing to take appropriate action to remove the conflict of interest by reporting the relationship to his or her supervisor.

Within the Law School, students, faculty and staff may direct questions to the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs or the Associate Dean for Human Resources and Administration, Bethany Pluymers. These staff serve as the Law School's contacts to the UW network responsible for information, investigation and/or enforcement of sexual harassment questions or complaints. Please note they are mandatory reports and will have to contact the Title IX Coordinator regarding any conduct covered by Title IX. More information about the policies and procedures relating to sexual harassment. The UW website also contains email and telephone numbers for contact persons.

16.5  Sexual Assault/Stalking/Domestic Violence

The University provides a number of resources, both confidential and non-confidential, for survivors of sexual assault, stalking, and domestic violence. The Assistant Dean for Student Affairs can support students navigating these resources. Please note the Assistant Dean is a mandatory report and will have to contact the Title IX Coordinator regarding any conduct covered by Title IX. Students should contact the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs: current contact information for the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs.

• University Health Services Sexual Assault Resources: offers counseling, medical assistance, victim advocacy, training, and prevention services.
• The Dean of Students Office/Division of Student Affairs is committed to providing an environment that is free of sexual misconduct, stalking, and dating and domestic violence in any form. We are dedicated to creating a safe and secure campus that allows students, faculty, staff and third parties the right to learn, work and live. Report Sexual Misconduct through the Dean of Students Office.
• The Title IX Coordinator is a resource for any student who is a victim of sex discrimination, sexual harassment or assault, dating or domestic violence, stalking, or retaliation. Title IX Program Overview.
• The UHS Rights for Victims team is dedicated to preventing violence before it happens and helping address the needs of sexual assault dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking victims after it happens.
• If you have been sexually assaulted, call 608-251-RAPE [7273] (Rape Crisis Center 24-hour hotline) or visit the Rape Crisis Center website.

Important campus and community resources:

• Domestic Abuse Intervention Services (DAIS): 608-251-4445 (24-hour hotline)
• Rape Crisis Center: 608-251-RAPE [7273] (24-hour hotline)
• University Health Services: 608-265-5600, option 9 (24-hour hotline)
• University of Wisconsin Police Department: 608-264-COPS (2677)
• Madison Police Department: 608-266-4275

16.6  Complaints

The Law School's Assistant Dean for Student Affairs serves as a primary point of contact for students who have complaints or concerns.  In addition to consulting with students about their academic, personal or professional issues, the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs is ready to help students with complaints they wish to make or concerns they wish to express.

Such complaints or concerns might involve: instances of sexual or physical harassment or assault; unfair or ill treatment; grading grievances (Law School Rule 2.11); grievances regarding the conduct of Law School personnel (Law School Rule 12.01); petitions for relief from a Law School Rule based on unusual hardship (Law School Rule 12.03(1)(a)); appeals on the basis of alleged discrimination (Law School Rule 12.03(1)(b)); or concerns/complaints regarding some aspect of the Law School's academic program, including the Law School's Program of Legal Education (ABA Standard 510/ former Standard 512).

Students are advised that the above list is not exhaustive and are invited to bring significant concerns to the attention of the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, or the Dean's Office.

Grading Grievances:

• A student may challenge the nature, quality, or fairness of an examination or other graded exercise for a particular course, rather than his or her particular grade on that examination or exercise. Instructors are expected to be scrupulously careful in constructing the exam, choosing grading criteria and applying those criteria, but there is no appeal from a grade on the allegation either that the grader misapplied the criteria for grading the exam, or that the criteria were themselves ill-chosen.
• For full information, see Law School Rule 2.11.

Grievances regarding the conduct of Law School personnel:

• Students should bring to the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs and/or the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs grievances or complaints based on the actions of Law School personnel or committees in order to seek a resolution to the grievance.
• If the grievance is not resolved, the student may appeal to the Law School's faculty Petitions Committee.
• For full information, see Law School Rule 12.01.

Petitions for relief from a Law School Rule (allegation of unusual hardship):

• Law School Rule 12.03(1)(a) provides that students may seek relief from a particular Law School Rule on the basis of an allegation of unusual hardship.  Students should first raise the matter with the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs and/or the Associate Dean for Academic & Student Affairs to see if the matter might be resolved by the Law School Dean's Office. If the Dean's Office has considered the request and has determined that it is not empowered to act or will not act, the student may submit the matter to the Law School's faculty Petitions Committee.
• Deadline: Note that the Petitions Committee will dismiss any appeal or request for relief, under §12.03(1)(a), brought more than 6 months after the occurrence of the event in issue.
• For full information, see Law School Rules 12.03(1)(a), 12.03(2), 12.03(3) and Rule 12.04.

Appeals on the basis of alleged discrimination:

• Law School Rule 12.03(1)(b) provides that students may appeal to the Law School's faculty Petitions Committee based on alleged discrimination on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, disability, ancestry, age, sexual orientation, pregnancy, marital status, or parental status of the student.
• Deadlines: Note that the various deadlines and procedures applicable to an appeal under Rule 12.03(1)(b) are set out in Law School 12.05.
• For full information, see Law School Rules 12.03(1)(b), 12.03(2), 12.03(3) and Rule 12.05.

Complaints regarding compliance with ABA Standards:

• ABA Standards for Approval of Law Schools involve a variety of topics: the Program of Legal Education (Chapter 3) (e.g., Curriculum; Study Outside the Classroom; Distance Education; Study Outside the United States; Academic Standards; Academic Advising and Support; Academic Calendar; Bar Passage); the Faculty (Chapter 4); Admissions and Student Services (Chapter 5); Library and Information Resources (Chapter 6); and Facilities (Chapter 7). View the ABA Standards for Approval of Law Schools.
• Communicating/filing a complaint or concern: Students who wish to make a complaint implicating the Law School’s compliance with one or more ABA Standards and/or bring to the attention of the Law School a significant problem in this regard, should communicate in writing (via e-mail or letter) with the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, whose contact information appears above.
• Specificity: A student making such a communication is asked, if possible, to specify which Standard they believe is implicated by the complaint or concern. However, any failure to do so will not prevent the matter from being addressed.
• Timelines: A student submitting a communication with respect to the Law School’s compliance with the Standards will receive a written reply acknowledging receipt of the original communication within eight working days. A final written response will be provided within two weeks of receipt, unless the matter cannot be adequately resolved within this time frame, in which case the student will receive regular written status updates thereafter until the matter is resolved.
• Appeal Rights: Upon receipt of the final written response, or earlier in the event of non-compliance with the above procedures, a student may appeal the response to the Dean of the Law School.  In the event the matter also implicates relief from a Law School Rule, the student may submit a Petition to the Law Faculty Petitions Committee under Law School Rule 12.03(1)(a).

16.7  Hate and Bias Incidents

“The University of Wisconsin-Madison values a diverse community where all members are able to participate fully in the Wisconsin Experience. Incidents of Bias/Hate affecting a person or group create a hostile climate and negatively impact the quality of the Wisconsin Experience for community members. UW-Madison takes such incidents seriously and will investigate and respond to reported or observed incidents of bias/hate.” -- Dean of Students Office: Report Bias or Hate

If a hate and/or bias incident happens to you or someone you know, please report the incident through the link above. The Law School's Assistant Dean for Student Affairs or Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and is available for support and to discuss any incident. Students can contact either Dean by email. Additionally, the University's Dean of Students Office has a Bias Response Coordinator who can be reached at 608-263-5700 or by stopping by the Dean of Students Office in 70 Bascom Hall.

16.8 Student Privacy Rights (FERPA)

As a student, you have privacy rights regarding your educational records protected under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).  Some information, like your name and email address, is considered public (directory) information and is available for others to access.  If you wish to withhold directory information, you can create a FERPA hold through your Student Center. Caution: Restricting directory information may have an impact on the Law School's ability to confirm education information to prospective employers, particularly restrictions on disclosure of major, attendance, participation in activities, and degrees and awards.  For more information on student privacy rights, see the University Registrar's Office FERPA website.

16.9 DACA / Undocumented Students

Regardless of immigration status, UW wants all students to know that you belong here and are an integral part of the UW campus community.

As a University of Wisconsin law student, you are entitled to all resources provided by and through the University of Wisconsin system. For information, see our DACA/Undocumented Students page or download the DACA/Undocumented Students Informational PDF.