Editor in chief: Laura Cadiz
Editorial Editors: Bret Jacobson, Laura Lucas
Newsroom: (541) 346-5511
Room 300, Erb Memorial Union
P.O. Box 3159, Eugene, OR 97403
E-mail: ode@oregon. uoregon.edu
On-line edition: www.dailyemerald.com
Marriage does have its perks.
Any unmarried couple can
have eternal love and all
that warm, fuzzy stuff. But
in return for legalized commitment,
married couples can receive better
health care coverage, be awarded
lower car insurance rates and, in
some minds, secure social legitima
cy.
But a specific benefit granted to
married couples at the University
and in the Oregon University System
is an in-state tuition price for out-of
state students who are married to
University employees.
But what about domestic couples
who cannot be lawfully married?
For years, same-sex domestic cou
ples have been denied benefits grant
ed to married couples who are in ex
actly the same type of relationship.
While the U.S. Supreme Court will
almost surely have to decide in the
near future whether or not gays and
lesbians can be legally married, the
fact remains that they cannot.
This is a legal situation that, while
unfortunate, has remedies. Already
the Public Employees Benefit Board,
an OUS board, has decided such do
mestic relationships should be grant
ed similar benefits as married ones.
In 1998, the landmark case Tanner v.
Oregon Health Sciences University
helped to secure health and dental
coverage for same-sex domestic part
ners.
Tuition reduction benefits were
not decided on at that time. On
Thursday, however, the State Board
of Higher Education voted to extend
these tuition benefits to the same-sex
domestic partnerships. It’s a decision
that is in keeping with the health
benefits policy and is in keeping
with the anti-discrimination policies
of this University.
One contentious issue that has
come up, however, is the standard to
which same-sex domestic relation
ships must be held in order to re
ceive benefits. Same-sex couples
must fill out an Affidavit of Domestic
Partnership that married couples do
not have to fill out. Some of the stip
ulations, while often being true of
married couples are not legally re
quired of them, such as those that re
quire partners to share residence or
to be faithful for the past sixth
months.
When a married couple applies for
benefits — health or, now, tuition —
no one asks them if they’ve been
faithful or if they “share a close per
sonal relationship,” as the affidavit
says. The trick, though, is to prove
domestic partnership. This is a valid
object of the affidavit: Because same
sex couples cannot get a marriage li
cense, there must be other ways to
document the partnership. How far
should this documentation go?
Gays and lesbians often feel they
are being held to a higher standard. It
seems that there are two ways to alle
viate this: Either require both kinds
of couples to adhere to this strict
standard of cohabitation and fidelity
or come up with another way to doc
ument a same-sex domestic partner
ship.
It seems that the key point of a
marriage certificate is commitment. If
a gay or lesbian couple can swear to
this same commitment without hav
ing to divulge all their relationships
in the last six months, then they ad
here to the same rules a marriage
does. One affair in the last six
months for a married couple is nei
ther public information nor a reason
to suspend their health benefits. The
same should stand for same-sex do
mestic partnerships.
Until the Supreme Court, or the
state of Oregon, makes a definitive
statement about the legality of same
sex marriage, these small steps are
necessary to keep things as equal as
possible.
The idea in offering benefits to
same-sex domestic couples is to be
fair. The double standard isn’t.
This editorial represents the opinion of the Emerald ed
itorial board. Responses may be sent to
ode@oregon.uoregon.edu.
Letters to the editor
Don’t waste athletic tickets
I recently found out why it is nearly im
possible to get tickets a few days before the
Duck’s football games. First of all, there are
those of you out there who pick up tickets
and then decide to watch it on TV. Worse
yet, some of you totally dismiss the game
due to bad weather or some other pitiful
reason. There are 6,000 tickets at the dis
posal of students, and even if a couple tick
ets go unused, in my opinion, that is a trav
esty. Now, as if the odds of getting tickets
could get any worse, in the event that there
are extra students tickets the Monday be
fore the big game, those tickets then be
come open for the general public to pur
chase. Not horrible right? Wrong. The
tickets that we, as students, buy through
the incidental fee process are being auc
tioned off, and the profit is going to the
Athletic Department. Now, some of you
are thinking, OK, so I had better go get my
tickets to get my money’s worth, but that is
doing a disservice to your fellow students
who want to go see the game. Bottom line,
get your tickets early, and if you can’t go,
give them to someone who can.
Jeff Kershner
Athletic Department Finance Committee
So what if GTFs don’t speak English?
I am prompted to respond to communi
cation issues raised by comparative litera
ture major Vanna Nordyke (ODE, Oct. 21).
While I agree that fluency in language
(not necessarily English, although it’s
handy in America) is essential for good
communication, here’s the truth: The
world doesn’t run that way.
I take argument with the fact that just be
cause a Graduate Teaching Fellow doesn’t
speak English well that it wholly stops the
learning process.
While standards are important for
higher education that all students pay a
price for, it is important to recognize
when a situation presents itself where the
individual must evolve.
So the GTF doesn’t speak English? Ask
the questions anyway. Won’t the other
students understand you? And some may
be grateful that you took the lead to initiate
discussion. Form a group outside of the
GTF section. Talk with the professor. Per
haps help the GTF with his or her English.
A final note: I don’t believe it’s the Uni
versity’s responsibility to provide a per
fect environment for the student, rather
an opportune one.
Susan A. Ryan
pre-journalism
CORRECTION
The story "Funding cut tor
domestic violence ser
vices" (ODE, Oct. 20)
should have read: Options
Counseling has made a
commitment to continue
offering its batterer inter
vention programs.
Also, Womenspace Do
mestic Violence Services is
offering its full range of
shelter and advocacy ser
vices, including emer
gency shelter for battered
women and their children,
legal advocacy, transitional
housing assistance and a
broad scope of counseling
and support services.
To supporting
nursing women
The Oregon Health
Division has de
signed wallet-size
cards that say it is
legal to breast feed
in public in Oregon.
Now if women are
harassed while
breast feeding, they
can defend them
selves with a
portable version of
the law.
To sowing the
seeds
The University is
continuing the
work of the Sum
mer Diversity Pro
gram by creating a
new position, a Co
ordinating Diversity
Intern, for the
ASUO, Diversity is
a key issue on cam
pus, and ideas or
suggestions of the
summer program
may find fruition
during the school
To mistreating
workers
Reebok Interna
tional, Ltd. re
leased a statement
acknowledging al
lowing poorwork
ing conditions in
two of its factories
in Indonesia. Al
though Reebok
gives out annual
human rights
awards and, in fact,
blew the whistle on
themselves, it’s sad
to see that these
situations continue
despite efforts to
improve condi
tions.
To rewarding
criminals
A group of Lake,
Oswegt) residents
are attempting to
drum up money to
send a registered
sexoftender.who
is a former Univer
sity student, to col
lege to keep him
out of their neigh
borhood. While we
understand their
fears, pushing the
man—who is
classified as
"predatory” --
into a new commu
nity is no answer,
and college is a lux
ury that few people
are handed.