Editorial:

Curators should consider same-sex domestic partner benefits

Published April 16, 2010

The Board of Curators needs to get with the times and vote for same-sex domestic partner benefits.

Betsy Rodriguez, UM system vice president of Human Resources, presented the results of the employee benefits survey to the UM system Board of Curators on Thursday, including the results for a question asking if the university should divert funds for same-sex domestic partner benefits.

The results were mixed, showing 34 percent of UM system faculty strongly in favor and 34 percent strongly opposed. The remaining 21 percent who voted decided to vote somewhere in the middle. In addition, 17 percent chose not to vote. Both UM-St. Louis and UM-Kansas City were in favor, with Missouri University of Science and Technology opposed. MU fell somewhere in the middle. Oddly enough, it was the MU Faculty Council that approved a same-sex domestic partner benefit resolution, along with UMSL's council.

Only about 37 percent of the UM system benefit-eligible employees responded to the survey, so we hope the board takes the resolutions of the Faculty Council into account when making decisions on this issue.

Although we believe benefits should be given to all domestic partners, not only same-sex, we'd like to see this act passed now, because it's a step in the right direction. These benefits will act to keep UM system schools competitive when it comes to faculty benefits, and the universities can only benefit from having a larger pool of faculty to choose from.