Student Council met last night to discuss a resolution which supports the University's ability to offer domestic partner benefits.
According to the resolution, a domestic partnership is defined as an "ongoing, committed relationship between two adults of the same or opposite sex who are not otherwise legally married."
College Rep. Anne Bautista, the resolution's sponsor, said the resolution's goal is to help recruit and retain top faculty, staff and students for the University.
As the resolution pointed out, the University has lost two "distinguished and tenured" faculty members over the past year because of the lack of domestic partner benefits. The faculty members mentioned were Religious Studies Prof. Eugene Rogers and French Prof. Elisabeth Ladenson.
Council President Jequeatta Upton said if the resolution passes, Council will work closely with the Board of Visitors and the administration totry to implement domestic partner benefits.
"This is reaffirming support for something that has always been at the back of people's thoughts, and now it has been brought to the forefront," Upton said.
According to Bautista, benefits for the University's faculty and staff could range from dual athletic facility membership to issues such as health insurance.
"We need to do what's best for the University," Bautista said. "In the end, it'll be beneficial. The University will gain so much."
The issue of domestic partner benefits was brought to the attention of Council by the student group Queer and Allied Activism.
According to their Web site, QuAA seeks to "address grievances of the Queer community through tactics of direct action, education about queer issues and political lobbying."
QuAA Treasurer and second-year College student Wyatt Fore spoke in support of the resolution at the meeting.
"It's disappointing to hear that U.Va. is falling behind its peer institutions," Fore said, citing the fact that the University is one of only three of the top 25 research institutions ranked by U.S. News & World Report that does not offer domestic partner benefits.
According to the resolution, currently, three other Virginia universities offer domestic partner benefits: Hollins University, University of Richmond and Washington & Lee.
Council will debate and vote on the resolution next Tuesday.
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