Math faculty backs regents

by Tom Schalmo

Monday, October 23, 2006 00:00

More than 20 members of the University of Wisconsin Math Department praised the UW System Board of Regents last week for its opposition to the proposed amendment banning gay marriage in Wisconsin.

In the letter released by UW math professor Jean-Pierre Rosay, the professors said they are not taking sides as a department or as employees of the university, but rather are individually expressing gratitude for the regents' efforts to oppose the ban.

"This amendment raises serious questions," Rosay said in an interview. "Many of us feel uncomfortable with the second part."

The second sentence in the proposed amendment would prohibit the state from recognizing relationships "identical or substantially similar" to that of a traditional marriage.

At its Oct. 6 meeting, the Board of Regents passed a nearly unanimous resolution taking a stance against the amendment.

Also citing the second section, the Board of Regents said the wording could prevent the UW System from providing domestic partner benefits in the future, and in turn prevent UW from retaining the best faculty possible.

Rosay added that the issue at hand comes down to "fairness."

"Fairness in the state is our concern as citizens, but fairness within the university is our concern as university employees," the professors wrote in their letter. We are proud to work for the University of Wisconsin, which historically has received remarkable support from the state and whose future we wish to be bright."

While not all professors agreed to sign the letter, Rosay said he is pleased with the number that did.

"It's about half of the members of the department," he said. "I think personally it's a big number."

And Rosay said he is also impressed with the "wide array" of professors who signed the document. Signatories ranged from professors emeritus to young faculty, and also included professors of different nationalities.

The Math Department faculty members are not the first university employees to individually take a stance on the gay-marriage amendment since the regents' public opposition to the ban.

Provost Patrick Farrell told The Badger Herald in a previous interview that while he does not think it is appropriate for him to make a statement representative of the university as a whole, he has taken a stance on the matter as an individual.

"If I'm not the provost and just myself then I'm vigorously opposed to this," Farrell said. "It will hurt the university, but I think the university really can't take political stands, even on something like that where it's clearly against their best interests to see that passed."

The regents' stance drew discontent from Republican legislators within the state, including Rep. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, and Rep. Mark Gundrum, R-New Berlin, both of whom said the regents were doing nothing more than playing politics.

"The board's action … was clearly about providing political cover for Governor [Jim] Doyle," Nass said in a statement. "Doyle opposes the Marriage Protection Act, even though poll after poll shows that the people of Wisconsin support passage."

While Doyle has said the amendment is unnecessary due to already illegal status of same-sex marriage in the state, his gubernatorial challenger U.S. Rep. Mark Green, R-Wis., has expressed support for the constitutional ban.

The race for governor and the decision on the amendment will be finalized in the Nov. 7 general election.