Domestic partner benefits seen as top priority

Undergraduate Student Senate unanimously motioned to table a domestic partner benefits resolution at its public meeting yesterday.

The Senate has to table any resolution for a week before the senate can take action on it.

“It’s important for students because Kent State is losing out on the opportunity to get good faculty members,” USS Executive Director Ross Miltner said.

In the resolution, Miltner stated that “domestic partner benefits to all unmarried couples would allow KSU’s ability to competitively recruit and retain outstanding faculty and graduate students.”

If the resolution is passed, USS cannot change university policy, but will call for President Lester Lefton to propose a plan to the Board of Trustees and for a vote by the board to “extend university health benefits to domestic partners of eligible KSU employees and students,” Miltner said in the resolution.

Miltner said an extension to health benefits would make Kent State more competitive for hiring.

“It isn’t just homosexual couples,” Miltner said. “More and more households choose not to get married.”

Other Ohio universities, such as Cleveland State, Miami University, Ohio University and Ohio State, already provide domestic partner benefits.

Last December, USS unanimously motioned to hold a hearing to discuss domestic partner benefits in the spring semester, but the resolution was not discussed again until yesterday’s meeting.

“To me, it seems like a very important issue,” Miltner said.

The resolution will be voted upon by the senators at next week’s meeting.

Also at yesterday’s meeting, USS motioned to table both the “KSU-OU Complete to Compete” and the “Student Center Commuter Lounge” resolutions. Both had been discussed at last week’s meeting.

Additionally, they discussed what each senator has been working on during the past week. Amy Groya, senator for governmental affairs, said Kathleen Chandler, Ohio House representative for the 68th district, will be on campus next week to help register voters with College Democrats. Groya said she is hoping to bring Ohio Senator Kevin Coughlin to campus with College Republicans for voter registration.

Groya said the biggest upcoming issues are registering freshmen to vote and providing information to students about registration.

Contact student politics reporter Kali Price at [email protected].