Senators concerned about DP Policy

Also passes S&M/BD charter after debate

A potential change in the domestic partnership policy was a main topic in the Senate's meeting Sunday.

Also at the meeting, the Senate approved the charter of the Oberlin Sadomasochism/Bondage and Discipline club and talked about co-ed rooms.

Joan Leib, senator senior, announced that there have been proposed changes to the Domestic Policy (DP) by Residential Life and Services.

The DP policy allows same-sex couples to be eligible for off-campus housing.

"The changes are that now, in addition to signing a document which says you are in a committed relationship and would get married if you legally could, you also have to provide two of the following: insurance policy naming each other as beneficiaries; living will drawn up by a lawyer naming each other as beneficiaries; proof that you have lived together for at least six months and durable power of attorney," Leib said.

Leib also said that Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Concerns Committee (LGBCC) and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Union (LGBU) were not consulted before these changes were proposed.

In response to Leib's announcement, Persky said, "I think all four of their criteria are not things college students have...This is an insane set of criteria."

Sophomore Andreas Pape said, "I think this should be a community decision ... the communication problem is the bigger issue."

Leib said, "In my opinion, here is yet another instance of the administration taking an ill-advised in loco parentis stance. This is an issue that students should have had enormous input on, and instead it sounds like they were trying to sneak a new policy into place before any students found out about it. In addition, since LGBCC is a standing committee of the General Faculty whose authority is direct over these kinds of issues, [LGBCC] definitely should have been contacted.… I hesitate to say there is homophobia happening here - it is true that people are abusing the DP policy - but really, there's very little excuse for this kind of action. I'm starting to lose faith in the new administration."

LGBCC will be meeting with Student Life Committee (SLC) and possibly Cole-Newkirk about this issue. The Senate unanimously passed a proposal that authorized Senate SLC members to voice Senate's extreme displeasure with the proposed changes.

The Sadoism Masechism/Bondage and Discipline (SM/B&D) charter was also approved. The Senate decided to not pass this charter until further discussion the week before.

Senator sophomore Blair Heiserman said, "Bringing moral issues into this discussion is something we don't have the right to do...discussion needs to be divorced of personal feeling...This group has a right to be on campus."

In reference to the "slave auction" posters that the SM/B&D posted earlier this semester, senator first-year Toshio Mana said, "Intention was not hate ... simply a mistake of PC...[SM/B&D] is not a hate group; they are a support group."

Persky said, "I don't see anything in the charter that can make me vote against it ... I see their purpose of being acceptable to us."

The charter passed with 13 in favor and three abstentions. Charters must be approved by the Student Life Committee and the General Faculty before they are officially approved.