It has been nearly eight years since Northwestern adopted a policy extending benefits to same-sex partners of employees, but the battle for benefits still is ongoing at many universities.
The University of Illinois is one of the latest schools to approve a policy change. The university’s Board of Trustees voted in favor of health and dental benefits for same-sex partners July 17, but Todd Henneman, president of NU Gay and Lesbian Alumni club, said he was surprised the school waited so long to change its policy.
“They were at a competitive disadvantage to not offer benefits when recruiting faculty and staff because health benefits are such a major consideration,” Henneman said.
Only 18 of the 74 statewide university systems in the country were providing domestic partner benefits as of last summer, according to a June 2002 press release from the American Civil Liberties Union. Among individual state-funded universities, only 150 of the nation’s 530 provide benefits to employees’ same-sex partners.
There are now 187 colleges and universities in the United States that offer benefits to same-sex partners, according to the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Web site.
NU’s decision in November 1995 to switch policies was relatively late compared to the top private universities in the country, said Tom Evans, NU’s director of benefits.
“We monitored the Harvards and the Yales,” Evans said. “The majority of the top private schools had already changed their policy. Northwestern was one of the last to adopt this.”
The Board of Trustees’ vote to change NU’s policy was preceded by discussions between student groups, faculty groups and the university president, Evans said. Ultimately, there was little opposition to the policy change.
“There was widespread acceptance by the Board of Trustees of the president’s recommendation to accept the policy,” Evans said.
About 30 NU employees out of about 7,000 have applied for same-sex partner benefits, Evans said. The NU plan provides basic health and dental benefits, as well as tuition benefits, to the employee’s partner. To qualify for the benefits, partners must sign a document certifying that they are exclusive domestic partners jointly responsible for each other’s welfare.
Matthew LaRose, a benefits accountant for NU, said the change in policy did not cause any cutbacks in other areas of the benefits program.
“It is certainly not an expense that is prohibitive for us,” LaRose said. “It has not caused rates to go up.”
Rainbow Alliance activism chair Sarah Wolff said institutions of higher education often are more progressive than business institutions and need to set an example.
“It’s important for any employer to offer these benefits,” said Wolff, a Music junior. “It’s important that employers understand that all their employees have an equal right to (benefits).”
A survey by Hewitt Associates, a global management consulting and employee benefits firm, found that 22 percent of U.S. companies offered domestic partner benefits in 2000.
“When I look at potential employers it definitely makes a difference,” Wolff said. “I think it is a trend that eventually will just become an expectation.”
But not everyone supports benefits for domestic partners. The Illinois Center Right Coalition released a statement July 23 condemning the University of Illinois’ decision, which is estimated to affect 100 of the school’s 23,000 employees.
“State universities should use taxpayer funds to help young people obtain higher levels of education, not to subsidize controversial lifestyles,” said Lidia Downs, the coalition’s executive director.
