Opinion

Equal benefits within reach

Faculty retention is a hot topic at the university right now. Recruitment and retention was one of the main topics Chancellor Biddy Martin spoke about during her first public address to the university community, impressing upon us the significance of this topic. Two key components of recruitment and retention are benefits and salary. Although faculty and staff could certainly be paid more at private universities, they choose to work here at the University of Wisconsin, where the Wisconsin Idea — the idea that education should influence people’s lives beyond the boundaries of the classroom — lies at the heart of campus tradition.

One issue the university has consistently fallen behind its peers on is domestic partner benefits. Other universities have their own insurance programs, but since UW is covered by state-run insurance plans, it is up to the state to change the plans to cover employees in domestic partnerships. Faculty and staff who either cannot or choose not to be married, but are part of a domestic partnership, do not receive the same quality of health and life insurance of other university faculty and staff. Although you may not think this affects the quality of our education, it does. Here’s why:

For those of you who do not sympathize with domestic partners, you need to realize that UW-Madison is the only Big Ten school that does not offer domestic partner benefits. We are one of two schools within our academic peer group that does not offer benefits. The university is part of a competitive national and international market, and by being one of only a few schools that does not offer these benefits, we lose our competitive edge within our peer group.

Beyond the competitive issue, this is undoubtedly an issue of fairness. People in domestic partnerships, regardless of their sexuality, do not deserve to be treated like second-class citizens. Furthermore, it is an embarrassment that reflects poorly on the university, the city of Madison and the state of Wisconsin. We are out of step with our peers, and our lack of domestic partner benefits communicates something about the state and university that is just backwards from the progressive reputation on which we pride ourselves.

The facts are clear: The lack of domestic partner benefits sets us below our competition in an outlandish way, and it is time to show the university and the legislators that students care about this issue. The time has never been more right — there is no longer a split Capitol, and the governor will likely put the budget increase for domestic partner benefits in his new budget draft. This is our time to use what we as students are known for — our energy, hope and willingness to make a change — and help make history in the state of Wisconsin. Look for opportunities to show your support on this issue in the coming months, especially mid-spring, when the new budget is proposed.

Leia Ferrari

ASM Academic Affairs Committee Intern

lferrari@wisc.edu