OC Revises Partnership Rules
by Alyson Dame

The Housing and Dining committee voted Thursday on a revised domestic partnership policy that will require proof for same-sex couples who want to attain off-board status. The vote was intended to deter students who would feign a committed lifelong partnership to stop paying for a meal plan.
The Domestic Partnership policy was developed in 1992 by a group of students and faculty concerned with issues of equality. There is an affadavit which students can sign if they are in a long-term relationship with a member of the same sex that they are living with, designed because the state of Ohio does not allow committed couples to enter into a contract of marriage. 
Residential Life and some members of the lesbian and gay community were concerned that the policy was being abused. Currently, a couple may just fill out a form and have it signed by a notary public. “The reason that the committee is looking at it is that there has been an abuse of the DP,” Assistant Director of Residential Life Sandra Hougland said. The Bisexual, Lesbian, Gay and Transgender Community coordinator Tori McReynolds said, “I think there have always been people willing to take advantage of the fact that it was relatively easy to get a DP.”
Junior Phillip Grasso was a member of the subcommittee that created the revised documents, and is the co-chair of LGBTU. “My personal stance is that I think it’s disgusting that people are abusing [the DP policy]. For people to blow off all that hard work and the victory that it represents just to get off the dining plan, I don’t think that’s cool,” he said.
The vote, after one amendment, was passed eight to two, with two abstaining. The policy will go into effect as soon as the documents are finalized. Information about the DP is also being created and will be distributed to educate students. “There will be something in the March mailing,” Hougland said.

Under the new policy, a Domestic Partnership certificate or two other proofs must be presented. Domestic Partnership certificates are very similar to marriage licenses, but are currently only available in the city of San Francisco and the state of Vermont. 
There are eleven possible proofs, including six dated photographs documenting a relationship, or evidence of joint credit cards. Couples will now need to fill out a renewal form annually and inform Residential Life if their relationship dissolves. 

This was the fourth time the Housing and Dining committee had discussed the policy. “It was made clear to me that the policy was going to be changed, and what I could do was to be part of the discussion about how the policy would change,” McReynolds said. 
A sub-committee was charged with revising the DP policy and included McReynolds, senior Jane Glynn, senior Brie Abbe, senior Kate Smallenburg, senior Jill Certo, visiting English instructor Kate Thomas, Director of Residential Services Kim LaFond and Grasso. 

McReynolds was instrumental in creating the new DP documents. “The goal in making these policy adjustments was to attempt to limit the very insulting way the policy is abused presently as well as maintain the economic viability of the policy,” she said, adding, “Whether or not it stops abuse remains to be seen.”

The new policy will create more hoops for students navigating the College system to jump through. Grasso said that it is worth it. “Yes, it is more paper work. I think however that there’s been a lot of student input and an effort to make it as easy as possible. Short of Oberlin College somehow making the state of Ohio recognize domestic partnerships as equivalent to marriage, I think that this is basically the best we can do,” he said.