The Wisconsin Coalition for Domestic Partner Benefits held a “Day of Action” on Wednesday to rally student support behind the issue of domestic partner benefits for state employees.
If put into effect, domestic partner benefits would give the spouses of state employees in same-sex unions the equivalent health insurance benefits of spouses in heterosexual marriages.
According to Day of Action Coordinator and University of Wisconsin sophomore Leia Ferrari, even though Gov. Jim Doyle has left room in his 2009-11 budget to give domestic partner benefits to state employees, actions must still be taken to make sure they remain a part of the budget.
“Even though things are looking great this year, that doesn’t mean we can be lax with our support. We still need to give tons of active support to make sure [domestic partner benefits] stays in there,” Ferrari said.
Volunteers from the Associated Students of Madison and other student organizations manned a table on Library Mall and lobbied for their cause at the Capitol.
At the information table, volunteers provided cell phones and laptops so UW students could contact their state representatives to tell them why domestic partner benefits should be provided to Wisconsin state employees.
According to Ferrari, students from more conservative areas of Wisconsin were highly encouraged to contact their representatives who may be opposed to the issue.
Sen. Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, is one of those opposed to giving domestic partner benefits to state employees at this time. According to spokesperson Kimberly Liedl, Fitzgerald feels expanding state programs and increasing taxes during a recession is a bad idea.
“When we are in a recession and having to cut programs, [Fitzgerald] is concerned about including something that is going to cost more,” Liedl said.
Ferrari feels the costs of adding domestic partner benefits to the state budget are worthwhile and UW students will receive a better education if they are imposed.
“Several notable faculty members have left [UW] and they have cited domestic partner benefits as the reason that they left,” Ferrari said. “Also it is affecting our education in that some people decide to not come here in the first place because we don’t offer them [domestic partner benefits].”
Chancellor Biddy Martin has been a proponent of domestic partner benefits in the past and echoed Ferrari’s point to the Herald Wednesday morning.
“We’re out of step with our university peers and even with corporate and business partners in the state and outside the state,” Martin said.
She went on to say the Day of Action says a lot about the university’s students, who took the initiative to run the event.
“What I think it says about students is they’re really incredibly concerned about the quality of the institution and about the recruitment and retention of faculty and staff…,” Martin said.
— Signe Brewster contributed to this report.
