Boston University should offer domestic partner benefits and add sexual preference to BU’s anti-discrimination policy, according to several fall and winter letters from 277 BU faculty and staff members addressed to BU chancellor John Silber and Board of Trustees officials.
The letters, sent by certified mail in October, December and January, call for BU to add domestic partner benefits for unmarried couples, both same and opposite sex, and to add sexual preference to BU’s anti-discrimination policy, which currently claims the university does not discriminate based race, sex, religion, age, national origin, physical or mental disability or because of marital, parental or veteran status.
Silber and the trustees have yet to respond to any of the letters, according to the letters’ organizers.
‘The lack of domestic partnership benefits is inherently unfair to those Boston University employees who are involved in committed, long-term relationships, yet are unable to marry,’ the Oct. 5 letter reads.
The letter also demands the inclusion of a clause in the anti-discrimination policy regarding sexual preferences because ‘the absence of sexual orientation from the university’s anti-discrimination policy implies that the university does discriminate on the grounds of sexual orientation.’
The group organizing the letter, Equality at BU, was formed during the summer and fall and includes 60 staff members. The group, along with another 217 BU faculty and staff members not in the organization, wrote two letters to Silber, one on Oct. 5 and one on Dec. 4. The group also wrote to Board of Trustees chairman Christopher Barreca on Jan. 30 and called him, also without response.
Silber said the university could not consider adding domestic partner benefits right now because of budgetary issues, and adding to the university’s anti-discrimination policy is unnecessary.
BU is currently working on holding down costs during tough economic times and adding new benefits would be costly, Silber said.
Silber also said the university would need specific complaints of discrimination based on sexual orientation before amending BU’s current policy. Former BU president Jon Westling turned down a similar request during the Spring 2001 semester, when a number of student groups approached him about the policy.
‘Jon Westling, I thought answered that thing with a fine statement a year and a half or two years ago, and I don’t think there’s any reason to alter that statement,’ Silber said.
According to Equality at BU, 90 percent of other private universities with no religious affiliation offer domestic partner benefits and BU is the largest academic institution in the Boston Metro area that does not offer these benefits.
But Carleton called the statistics used by Equality at BU misleading. The statistics the group used single out only non-affiliated private universities and did not take all of the colleges and universities nationwide into account, he said.
In actuality, less than 10 percent of schools have a sexual orientation clause included in their anti-discrimination policies and less than 5 percent have domestic partner benefits, he said.
Despite the fact that almost 300 faculty and staff members signed the document, Melissa Straz was the only supporter willing to speak out.
According to Straz, several other faculty and staff members believed in the cause but did not sign the letter because they were scared of losing tenure, promotions or even their jobs.
‘There is a lot of fear,’ Straz said. ‘A lot of people are afraid to reveal their sexuality.’
Carleton said the fear was unjustified because there has never been a case at BU in which a faculty or staff member has been fired as a result of speaking out against the administration.
Both Straz and Carleton said BU was required to abide by Massachusetts’ law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, however, Straz said many signatories believed discrimination still occurs.
‘Boston University is protected under state law,’ Straz said. ‘But there is still a feeling of prejudice around the university.’
Equality at BU plans to continue to try to reach Silber and the university’s Board of Trustees and is hoping that by involving the press, one of them may respond.
Carleton said the group was taking the wrong approach in getting their voice heard. The group should not have sent a letter directly to Silber but should have sent it to the personnel office and should not have over-dramatized the fact that they were ignored to the press.
The organization is also planning to mail letters to State Senator Cheryl Jacques (Norfolk) and United States Congressman Barney Frank (D-Mass.) asking for their support, although Straz said ‘final word will be up to Silber.’
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