Drury to provide benefits for partners
The university is the first in Springfield, Mo. to provide such benefits.
Published June 6, 2007
In a move that's attracted its share of attention, Drury University in Springfield is the first university in that city and among the first in the state to provide benefits to domestic partners of its gay and lesbian employees.
"I think that as an educational institution, one of the things that you have a responsibility for is providing leadership," former Drury President John Sellars said.
Sellars recently ended his term as Drury's president for personal reasons.
Sellars said the change was meant to bring the university in line with its own equal opportunity statement, which prohibits the school from discriminating based on sexual orientation.
"Without providing the same type of benefit package (as is available for heterosexual employees' spouses), we were actually discriminating and that we were not in line with what we had said within our equal opportunity statement," Sellars said.
Drury's decision has prompted some to call for other schools to follow its lead.
"I would love to see other schools in Springfield and in the state rise to the occasion and include this in their university's benefits package," said John Merrifield, the former president of Allies, Drury's Gay-Straight Alliance student group.
Allies circulated a student petition to show support for the measure while it was under consideration.
Merrifield said more than a quarter of Drury's students signed the petition.
Drury's new benefits package has also attracted the attention of PROMO, a statewide lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender advocacy group.
"As an activist, I think it's awesome," PROMO's Field Director Don Dressel said. "I think it's great. I think it's important that there are institutions like Drury that go and create a lead around the United States, not just in Missouri, but all over the country."
Missouri State University, also in Springfield, does not offer domestic partner benefits. MSU President Michael Nietzel declined to comment.
Missouri's other public institutions, including the University of Missouri, also do not offer such benefits. UM system interim President Gordon Lamb could not be reached for comment.
St. Louis-based Washington University does offer domestic partner benefits.
Tom Lauman, WU's director of benefits, said he is unaware of any other schools in Missouri than his own and Drury that do so.
So far, the change hasn't caused any administrative problems at Drury.
"We really don't anticipate that the decision to offer domestic partner benefits will pose many new challenges for the HR department," Scotti Siebert, Drury's director of human resources said.
Siebert said less than a half a dozen employees have enrolled partners in the program, which requires employees to provide proof of both financial interdependence and a common residence.
Dressel said he knows of no other universities in Missouri that are considering a similar decision.
Sellars considers the move is one that Drury made carefully.
"As a community, this is a decision that we took our time to walk through and to make sure that all that had something to say had an opportunity to say it," Sellars said. "We were ready."
