As Nov. 7 approaches, students all over campus will see more chalk covering the sidewalks, literature in their classrooms and posters in their dorms and around campus urging them to vote. There will be letters in the papers, people at tables and on Library Mall. And on Nov. 8, the goading will end, the dust will settle, and aside from some artifacts of chalk remaining on the sidewalks, another election season will have passed.

But this Nov. 7 is a historic occasion. On Nov. 7, Wisconsin voters will decide whether to amend our constitution to permanently ban civil unions and gay marriage. We will decide whether Wisconsin will join a growing band of states that have institutionalized discrimination in their state constitutions, or whether Wisconsin will resound in history forever as the first state to defeat such a ban.

The proposed amendment says the following:

"Only a marriage between one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in this state. A legal status identical or substantially similar to that of marriage for unmarried individuals shall not be valid or recognized in this state."

This choice is different because of the nature of what is being voted on. This debate is filled with passion, with strong opinions about whether same-sex couples should enjoy the same rights and benefits as straight couples.

There are more than a thousand rights and responsibilities given to married couples through a standard marriage license. The state of Wisconsin adds another 200. The proposed ban would prohibit those rights for all unmarried couples.

To prevent this from happening, I urge you to turn the ballot over — the amendment vote is on the back — and vote "No" on this ban.

The ban would have profound negative effects on the university. In August, Rob Carpick, renowned engineering professor, decided to leave the University of Wisconsin and took millions of dollars in research grants with him. He didn't leave for money; he left because he is gay and wants to be able to provide health care for his partner.

Wisconsin remains the only Big Ten university that does not provide domestic partnership benefits to unmarried couples — gay or straight. That is not a list we should be proud to top. The Associated Students of Madison, along with the UW System Board of Regents and the University Committee, has publicly opposed the ban, citing the harm it would reap on UW. Only by voting "No" can we leave the door open to domestic partnership benefits at UW.

Wisconsin has the opportunity to be the first state to reject an anti-gay amendment. Doing so would solidify Wisconsin's reputation as being a leader on civil rights issues. Wisconsin was the first state to oppose the fugitive slave laws, stood by women in their battle for suffrage, and in 1982 became the first state to add sexual orientation to its non-discrimination statutes.

In each of these battles for civil rights, students have played a central role. This year, it is time for us to forge our place in history. Professor Kathy Cramer Walsh said, "The campus vote statewide will be a deciding factor."

I believe Professor Walsh is correct. I believe in the power of our generation. I believe that we, as students, will see past the rhetoric of protecting marriage and will stand up against this discrimination by voting "No" Nov. 7.

Tuesday, the choice comes to you. Ask yourself these questions: Would I move to a state that believed that the person I love and have been living with for 30 years is a legal stranger to me? Do I believe it is right to effectively place a sign at Wisconsin's border that says, "Gays not welcome here?" Do I want to alienate my friends, my family and my neighbors?

Students from all corners of the state are rallying around a message of fairness and equal protection. Now is your time to rise with them and prove that you are not one to stand idly by while a constitutional amendment reduces the rights of Wisconsinites under the guise of "family values" and "moral obligation." Now is the time to turn the tables and show the world that our state does not accept the intolerance and prejudice that we have seen across the country. Now is the time to show your passions, your strengths and your understanding of "moral obligation."

Join me. Turn over your ballot and vote "No" Nov. 7. Show our state and our country that we hold true to our favorite Badger values: passion, acceptance and equality.

Eli Judge ([email protected]) is the chair of Students for a Fair Wisconsin.