UNIVERSITY
Housing lawsuit still pending
By Colleen Pohlig
EfTWWtlkl R**( * V’iH
Student Ann Piazza and her
domestic partner are still wait
ing. six months after filing a
lawsuit against the State Board
of Higher Kdueation for deny
mg them fnmllv housing on the
basis of their sexual orient.i
tion
1’ in// a a n d 1’ a m e I a
Harbeintner filed the Lays suit
lute last spring after their claim
with the University's Office of
Affirmatixe Action and Kqual
Opportunity was denied in lulv
1 *190
The claim was denied he
cause University family lions
mg requires that couples tie le
gally married or have custody
of minor i hildren
Housing aii epts married i mi
pies, married couples with < h i I -
dren and single parents with
children
Although the couple offered
proof that they were joined in a
i eremonv ol holy union by a
minister of the Unitarian
Church ol lingerie and Lane
County four years ago, neither
family housing, nor the state,
recognize this as a legal mar
riage
Piazza said she believes it is
unfair that she and her partner
are denied housing on the basis
id their sexual orientation
"It's unfair that we have to
pay a fortune for rent when
straight couples are barely pay
ing anything in family bous
ing." Piazza said We've al
ways thought of ourselves as
regular people, and we think it
is our natural right to have uc
i ess to family housing
We are just as domestic as
everyone else
A fairly ret ent change in
housing policy allows single
parents to have another adult
living with them without re
porting their relationship to
housing 1 his is the closest a
gay or lesbian i ouple can come
to liv ing in family housing
f *• O
Pamela Harbemlner and Ann Piazza are suing the Stale Hoard ol
Higher Education lor denying them lamily housing on the basis ol
their sexual orientation
lire a .use neither I’m//.i nor
her purlner have ( hiidren. The
i ouple, is suing lor disc rimin.1
t'lori bee alise Ihcv do not have
c hJIdren A heterosexual mu
(ilc without children may live
in family housing, but .1 gav or
lesbian couple without chil
dren Is denied housing
Another facet to this issue Is
llie amount of current available
space; in bousing I’ie/zu said
tier hopes raised when site saw
a rt-c «-nl ad for available space
In family bousing
I’ltl/.za said siie believed
bousing would let her and her
partner in if they needed to fill
spaces, but the answer was no
onc:tt again
Housing allows, on certain
occasions, couples who are en
gaged to lie married to live in
bousing, yet they do not recog
nize a domestic: partnership
Two or three couples tin
gaged to Is- married within one
month are now living in hous
ing, said Michael l-.yster, hous
ing tiirec tor
The couples have to show
evidence of sincere marriage 111
tenhons mu li as a wedding m
s itatmn I s sti r said
|*M//.I s lass xU i t . which IS
mainly contesting on the Ixtsis
of disi nminatton because Un
couple has no children, is siill
in thu "pushing papers stugu,
i’la/za said
I’ia/v.a said tlu' lawyers, from
lliu Oregon Oils and Lesbian
Assoi ialion in Portland. who
are handling thu ease told her
to expel t a w all of one to two
years until the trial material
i/es i’ia/./a. now a post liana
laureate, said she will most
likely graduate by tin' time tfie
< use goes to trial
Because of this, the Lesbian,
(las and Bisexual Alliance is
the in signer on the i axe In the
usurp that thu/vui graduates lu
llin' tile ease goes to trial, the
LO.liA will take over the ease
I think it's rule ulous that in
this das and age with so many
advances for gas and lesbian
couples, the I diversity persists
in tins monolithic ideal of mar
Tied heterosexual relationships
being tile nnty valid family
units said Sue Dm kstader. cu
LOB A d i rm tor
COLSON
Continued from Page 1
lho 1FC txicauM'. according In the court - opinion,
"reinstating him to office would tnereh result in
the IFC revoting to remove him from offic e
justices Matthew Cate and Joseph Ssrbanakltta
concurred with this opinion
Chief Justice- Stephen Hriggs agreed that Col
son's rights wc-re violated hut disagreed with the
court's rationale for refusing to reinstate lum to
the lit:
In the dissenting opinion Hriggs wrote If the
[PC revotes to remove him from office, that is
their prerogative It is not lor lfit* court to predict
what the lit: would do."
Colson called the court's decision paradoxical,
and wrote a letter to the court asking it to recon
sider Ills reinstatement
"They're going to uphold the rights of individ
uals in the future." Colson said, "hut I'm heirig
left out of it and I'm the one that filed the c ase
In this case I think (the court) reac led into the
piilitii.il grab bag .mil rnotli* .1 yalue judgment
iitxiut thi‘ 1IC, and lu iih- that's troubling
All I teallv wanted In filing tins suit was a
i hant * to present tm sidehe said '! recognize,
just as any rational jrerson out there, that they
1 mild still vote me out for whatever reason
Colson sani he also believes tills decision re
moves the electoral accountability of current li t
members because they will not have to re< ast
their votes in light of his defense which Colson
has never lieeti allowed (o present publicly
Voters have a right to know tie cause tiial a
person is tieing removed for. and who voted yea
or nay 'Colson said "That's a fundamental tenet
lor being accountable for your de< isions
“I! these people stand lor kii king people out ot
olfue because they don't like them because they
hold different political views the voters should
know that," he said
" There was absolutely nothing ol substance to
why they kic ked me out based upon the facts as 1
know them." Colson said
ET ALS
MELTINGS
Alpha Phi Omega will have a
mot'ling and a party tonight,
call 346-9911 for moro informa
tion.
Graduate School Mentorship
Program will moot tonight at
5 30 in tho EMU Board Room
Call 346-2803 for moro infor
mation
MISCELLANEOl IS
Jo Sonja Watson retail peti
tion signing table will lie set up
in the EMU Courtyard today
from l) ;t() .1 m to t |>m < 'ill
:J44-HBU for more Information
(iladis Sibriun u FMLN rep
resentalive, will speak on the
prospects for pe.it e in El Salva
dor tonight at 7 :t() in the EMI '
Fir Room Call l-tt.-il'M for
more information
Deadline Inr suhinitling ill als
to the Kmerulii Iron! desk, ilklt
Suite 11)0, is rumi 1 tin' da\ !»•
furr publication ill nls run the
day of the event unless the
event hikes place Indore noon
Notii.es ul events with a ‘In
tuition nr admission 1 harge will
mil he accepted Campus
events ami those scheduled
nearest the publication date
vt ill he given priority
_emu
Recreation Center
CAMPUS
LOST & FOUND
SALE
‘ Umbrellas
* Coats Sweater s
Gloves'!
Books
kit s
■Misc. Goodies
Nothing Over
Three Dollars!
| Dead Week, Dec.
9-5pm Dally
( ash ()nl\
( No ( lift ksj
WE CAN
PROCESS YOUR
E-6 SLIDES IN
JUST 1 HOUR!
LrJ INC.
EUGENE’S QUALITY 1-HOUR
PHOTOFINISHER!
24 EXP. $439
36 EXP. $639
18th & Willamette 484-6116
THE FAR SIDE By GARY LARSON
W
1
You re a cold tish, Raymond