Why SignStephen F. Austin State University's Policy E-65 (Employee/Dependent Scholarship) excludes same-sex couples. The policy can be rewritten to include SFA's LGBT employees, if those in charge of implementing and revising the policy are shown that other employees, administrators, students, alumni and the community support a more inclusive policy.
The IssueAccording to the policy; SFA's definition of qualifying "spouses" and "dependents" are those who are eligible for inclusion on the employees' insurance. The insurance company, ERS (employee retirement system) defines "spouse" as "opposite-sex spouse as recognized by Texas law. Marriage license accepted as supporting documentation." ERS does not fund the employee/dependent scholarship, sharing their definition of "spouse" for no reason is discriminatory to SFA's LGBT employees.
Call to Action Tell SFA that you support a rewrite of Policy E-65 so that it includes their LGBT employees. Let SFA and their policy writers know that the current policy is discriminatory because it excludes all forms of families. If an SFA employee and their spouse have legal proof of their matrimony from any state, SFA should recognize it.
For more information on SFA Policy E-65 visit:
http://www.sfasu.edu/policies/employee_scholarship_prog.asp and
http://www2.sfasu.edu/personnel/forms/documents/EmployeeScholarshipProgram08.pdf We the SFA and Nacogdoches community feel that a rewrite of Policy E-65 is needed so that it can include everyone with a valid marriage license from any state or territory (Washington D.C).
According to data from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, the majority of Fortune 500 companies provide benefits to same-sex partners of employees as of June 2006. This data also showed that overall, 41 percent HR professions indicate that their organizations offered some form of domestic partner benefits(opposite-sex partners, same-sex partners or both.)
Here at SFA same-sex partners of employees have nothing of the sort. We acknowledge that some things are out of your control due to the laws set in Texas. However, rewriting a policy so that it can include all forms of families IS within your control.
We thank you for your time.
