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A history of commitment to diversity

Washburn University was founded in 1865 on the then-revolutionary premise of open access to and diversity in education. Washburn University School of Law is committed to continuing and expanding upon this legacy. Diversity among faculty, staff, and students is essential to fulfilling the mission and vision of the law school, and the school uses every means available to support robust diversity within the law school community.

Our commitment to diversity today

Washburn Law strives to promote a culture and academic environment that embraces, promotes, and respects students from a range of diverse backgrounds. Importantly, Washburn takes an inclusive view of diversity in today's society considering diversity in terms of race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, age, religion, abilities/disabilities, sexual orientation, and more. 

Recently, Washburn Law was even awarded the Diversity Matters award at the LSAC's Annual Conference. This award is given to a law school that has demonstrated the highest level of outreach to underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, the LGBTQ community, Indigenous People of Canada, and others underrepresented in the legal profession.

We value diversity in the law school because it:

  • Contributes to a culture of inclusion and acceptance. Greater diversity, combined with efforts to foster a tolerant and accepting community, helps create a learning environment in which all students feel equally welcome and comfortable, free to focus on their studies.
  • Enriches the education we provide. Greater diversity in the classroom, with a student body of varied perspectives and life experiences, contributes to a richer educational experience that better prepares students for the various career options open to law school graduates.
  • Broadens participation in law and policy making. Greater diversity in the law school leads to greater participation in the development and implementation of law and policy by members of communities historically marginalized and under-represented in the legal profession, in government, and other institutions involved in policy formulation.
  • Increases the fairness and equality of our justice system. Greater diversity in the law school, leading to greater diversity in the legal profession and other aspects of the justice system, ultimately contributes to both the perception and reality of greater fairness and justice for members of communities that have been historically marginalized, under-represented and discriminated against, who are implicated in various aspects of the justice system.

Student Organizations

Multiple student groups are dedicated to supporting and bolstering diversity in the law. These active student groups organize and host a wide range of activities throughout the year, from invited lecturers to networking sessions to social events.

  • Black Law Students Assocation (BLSA)
  • Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Association (DEI)
  • Hispanic and Latino Student Association (HALSA)
  • Asian American Law Students Association (AALSA)
  • Native American Law Students Association (NALSA)
  • Rainbow Bar
  • Women's Legal Forum (WLF)
A group of students chat while touring the library.

Serving a diverse community

Washburn Law's commitment to diversity begins in the classroom and extends to the community. Through the Washburn Law Clinic, Clinic student interns, faculty, and staff ensure the representation of individuals, nonprofits and businesses that could not otherwise afford legal representation. Washburn Law Clinic interns have provided nearly 9,000 hours of pro bono legal service to low-income individuals, nonprofit organizations and businesses.

Outside of the clinic, Washburn Law students donate time and hours to community service organizations and events. And, Washburn Law's Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA) serves approximately 700 Topekans, many of whom are racial and ethnic minorities and single mothers, and generates nearly $700,000 in tax refunds for the community annually.
Two law students meet with a clinic client.

Scholarship opportunities

Two students chat while studying in the library.

Washburn Law uses its substantial scholarship funds to help build a truly diverse student community. With a scholarship budget of approximately $3 million annually, most Washburn Law students receive scholarship support.

Diversity related job opportunities 

Washburn Law also invests in legal placement opportunities for its diverse student population through its Professional Development Office. 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.
A student smiles while talking with other students at a table in the lobby.

Resolution*

WHEREAS, the faculty recognizes the incessant, systemic, and perpetual racial and societal injustices in this country, which have been passed on from generation to generation; and

WHEREAS, the faculty recognizes that these injustices have existed since the original sin of slavery and been furthered by Jim Crow laws and the unequal treatment of Black persons in our judicial system; and

WHEREAS, the faculty recognizes the vital role played by the Washburn-educated lawyers who represented the plaintiffs in the landmark civil rights case, Brown v. Topeka Board of Education, and that Washburn Law continues to stand against racial injustice; and

WHEREAS, the faculty especially notes and is appalled by the numerous killings that have been committed against Black persons under the color of law; and

WHEREAS, the faculty recognizes the lack of accountability for these injustices; and

WHEREAS, the faculty recognizes the senseless brutality being committed by too many of those employed to serve and protect who are operating under a pattern, practice, and culture fostering unequal treatment; and

WHEREAS, the faculty recognizes that the unequal brutality and extrajudicial killings defy U.S. constitutional guarantees of due process and equal protection, and undermine the citizenry’s general welfare; and

WHEREAS, the faculty recognizes the need to have uncomfortable talks and real, honest, and transparent conversations directed towards addressing these injustices; and

WHEREAS, the faculty recognizes the need to understand how the extrajudicial killings have made so many feel angry, sad, helpless, frustrated, invisible, and disillusioned, resulting in constant fears for their personal safety and leading to psychological and emotional scars; and

WHEREAS, the faculty recognizes that within our otherwise organized and civilized society, systemic discrimination and unjust racial inequities continue to appall and to plague our nation; and

WHEREAS, the faculty recognizes that we should not accept apathy, indifference, or silence to such ongoing violence and inequities, which otherwise allows hatred, prejudice, and intolerance to fester and grow; and

WHEREAS, the faculty recognizes the need to engage in peaceful protest and constructive acts to make a meaningful difference towards societal change; and

WHEREAS, the faculty recognizes that we have an obligation to fight ignorance and intolerance, model inclusivity, and embrace our differences and the power that diversity represents; and

WHEREAS, the faculty recognizes the need to stand with our Black brothers and sisters as effective allies and to stand in ongoing support of our students, staff, fellow faculty members, and their families who are persons of color; and

WHEREAS, the faculty resolves that the law school will do its part to challenge systemic racial subordination and exclusion in the justice system by committing to:

  1. Increase the diversity of the faculty, staff and student body.
  2. Periodically reassess its need for cultural audits of faculty, staff, and students, to ensure that it is working toward achievement and maintenance of a safe and welcoming environment and remains sensitive to potentially dynamic definitions of what a diverse and inclusive law school at all levels looks like.
  3. Integrate values, principles, and practices of intercultural and international awareness in the curriculum so that students graduate with the competencies necessary to work effectively and successfully with diverse clients.
  4. Encourage faculty members to create opportunities for students to analyze and discuss legal issues from diverse perspectives; help students understand how the law can reflect and perpetuate particular power structures and positions of disadvantage in society; and infuse course materials and fact patterns with subjects from diverse backgrounds and settings, while being careful to avoid stereotyping.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the faculty acknowledges that racism is an affliction that we must never enable but should all be active antiracists in taking responsibility to condemn and to end, that we need to identify and challenge systemic prejudice wherever it exists, that we are all accountable for doing the work necessary for policy changes that dismantle structural systems of oppression that perpetuate racial inequities in our society, that we will strive to be better listeners and supporters of those who are the victims of racism, that we will never rest until every person feels safe, free, and accepted in our country, and that we will continuously abide by the goal of providing respect and equal treatment to all in upholding the rule of law.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this resolution be preserved in the records and minutes of the Washburn Law faculty and prominently displayed on the Washburn Law website.

Adopted this 8th day of June, 2020, by the unanimous vote of Washburn Law faculty.

Alex Glashausser, Faculty Chair

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