OUTLaw Secretary Colleen Collins, left, with fellow SMU Dedman School of Law students Jason and Hannah Dedman School of Law’s OUTLaw group offers resources for law students, faculty It’s no secret that LGBTQ people can face unique problems and hurdles, in both educational and workplace environments, that non-LGBTQ folks don’t have to deal with.
Affinity groups and employee resource groups can help alleviate some of those hurdles. And for LGBTQ faculty and students at SMU’s Dedman School of Law, that’s where OUTLaw comes in.
Colleen Collins, a student at the Dedman School of Law and secretary for OUTLaw, answered a few questions this week about the organization and its purpose. — Tammye Nash Dallas Voice: What is OUTLaw and when was it created? Colleen Collins: OUTLaw is our LGBTQ+ student group at SMU Dedman School of Law.
It is created for LGBTQ-identifying individuals and allies. We think it was founded sometime after the year 2000, but due to a gap in programming, we are trying to connect with prior alumni to make connections with prior OUTLaw Members. Who is in charge, and how is the leadership chosen? Our group has a student executive board and two faculty advisors.