UT Offers Domestic Partner Benefits, Ending Long Struggle

By Journalism I

A week after Hillsborough County commissioners shot down a similar idea and two months after Florida voters rejected gay marriage, the University of Tampa agreed Wednesday to begin offering domestic partner benefits for homosexual couples.

Beginning April 1, UT will allow same-sex domestic partners to secure health insurance and other employee benefits. The offer does not apply to heterosexual domestic partnerships because those couples are allowed to marry under state law.

“It’s about time,” said Matt Gould, president of the Gay Lesbian Transgender Straight Bisexual Alliance, a UT student group. “I think it’s great that UT is implementing [benefits], but I think it’s wrong that the entire county won’t.”

Last week, Hillsborough County Commissioner Kevin Beckner asked his colleagues to consider having the county offer domestic partner benefits. His request was rejected 5-2, and commissioners declined to even allow county staff to study the issue further. In 2004, commissioners also declined to offer benefits to gay couples.

In December 2007, The Minaret reported faculty dissatisfaction with the lack of benefits at UT, characterizing the quest for same-sex benefits as “a 15-year administrative shell game in which the biggest losers are progress, equal rights and the university’s reputation.”

Faculty voted twice in four years to endorse the benefits but claimed their requests were being ignored by President Ronald L. Vaughn.

UT’s new benefit plan was announced Wednesday in an e-mail to faculty members:

“The decision to offer same-sex domestic partner benefits was made after a lengthy, thorough and deliberate analysis.  In 2008, the University hired an independent consulting firm, Sibson Consulting, to analyze issues and assess the feasibility of offering benefits to domestic partners.”

The plan listed four requirements:

·     Be made available to employees who are in long-term, committed relationships and cannot marry according to Florida state laws;

·      Offer equity with married employees to the extent permitted by federal laws;

·      Be financially responsible; and

·      Not jeopardize the tax-favored status of any of UT’s programs.

“Because of the first condition, Sibson’s study focused on the potential design and implementation of a same-sex domestic partner (SSDP) benefit program,” the email continued. “Their research and recent presentation of findings helped us determine that offering same-sex domestic partner benefits is feasible and beneficial to the UT community.

Officials said more details would be available soon on the school’s employee Web site.

Reaction on campus was mixed.

Michael Burns, a Spartan Club employee, called the vote “a good thing. I think people that have been together so long, they deserve it.”

“I don’t think (homosexual employees) should get special treatment,” said Shanney Myers, a sophomore criminology major. “Benefits are given to a husband or wife when their husband or wife work here. This is not a good thing.”

Linda LaComb-Williams, who teaches a nursing lab, disagreed.

“It’s a progressive step in taking the stigma away from people who need equal rights,” she said.

Gould also thinks UT’s decision is a positive change – especially in a state where 62 percent of voters amended the constitution to define marriage as between a man and a woman.

“It’s not like people in gay relationships are going around trying to convert their heterosexual friends,” said the sophomore English major.

ELSEWHERE

Other private universities, including Lynn, Nova Southeastern and the University of Miami, offer domestic partner benefits, as do approximately 80 percent of U.S. News & World Report’s top 50 colleges and more than half of Fortune 500 companies, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education.

UT is not alone in the benefits debate that has been brought up in recent news. The University of New Hampshire has already gone through this process, and by law in New Hampshire, a civil union must be forged in order to share benefits. The University System of New Hampshire has just ruled that same-sex partners will lose their health benefits unless they are legally in a civil union by July.

In Texas, state-funded schools are prohibited by the state from offering benefits to same-sex couples. Texas Christian University, a private school, has offered benefits to homosexual couples since 2005. According to the university, each party must sign a domestic partnership affidavit and submit it to Human Resources for it to be a considered for domestic partnership benefits. This year, a bill is to be addressed that will overturn laws preventing the University of Texas-Austin from extending benefits to homosexual employees.

College Columnists: Rick Warren, Excessive Spending Among Top Inauguration Woes

By Renee Sessions (UWIRE)

On Jan. 20, Barack Obama will be inaugurated as the 44th president of the United States. Aside from its historical significance, however, the inauguration is kindling a host of other concerns for college opinion writers.

From using ‘God’ in the oath of office to the lavish parties during an economic crisis, college opinion pages are abuzz with Inauguration Day debate. Click below for some of the most heated topics.

Is choosing divisive Warren a snub to gays?

Rick Warren the wrong reverend for invocation
Source | Michigan Daily
Barack Obama and reverends just don’t mix. An interview with Beliefnet.com epitomizes why some want Obama to choose another pastor. In this interview, Warren makes the conclusion that marital incest, polygamy and “an older guy marrying a child” is equivalent to same-sex marriage. But what surprised me is that before he made this gay-marriage, older-guy marrying-a-child comparison, he asserted that he believes in “full equal rights for everyone in America,” including partnership benefits. Warren has abused his mantle in the public arena to a degree that is reprehensible, and I cannot stand behind him as the invocation speaker. Read more.

Rick Warren an unjust choice for inauguration
Source | The Oracle
By choosing Rick Warren, tt is unforgivable for Obama to put political posturing above eliminating divisiveness between groups. Inviting a polarizing figure flatly opposed to taking into account the opinions a minority of the population does nothing to further inclusiveness or tolerance. Appealing to the majority rather than applying universal principles of justice and equality is no more reasonable in the hypothetical than it is in Obama’s very real invitation to Warren. Read more.

A choice reflecting post-partisan Christianity
Source | Harvard Crimson
While some have charged that Obama is merely pandering to the Religious Right with his selection of Rick Warren to deliver the inaugural invocation, the truth is that Warren’s selection symbolizes Obama’s hopes to move into a post-partisan dialogue for Christian believers and skeptics alike. By reaching out to evangelicals on these broader economic and social issues, secular liberals can create a much larger coalition behind a progressive agenda, and evangelicals can feel like they are not compromising the Biblical roots of their faith. Read more.

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Is using ‘God’ in oath a breach of The Constitution?

First Amendment upholds God’s place in government functions
Source | Daily Illini
The value of someone’s oath under the name of God is deemed by some to be a solid and grave commitment to whatever the oath is pertaining to. This sort of bond primarily derives from the thought that God will oversee all doings related to the oath and will, consequently, hold people responsible for their actions. The fear of God’s judgment pressures many people to remain conscious of courtroom oaths, public office commitments and any other pledges they make under God. With the help of this continual fear of judgment, I believe it is perfectly sound and entirely supported by the First Amendment for people to have the right to take judicial oath, public office or other commitments under the name of God, if they so choose. Read more.

Government’s use of ‘God’ not a sin
Source | Daily Bruin
A lawsuit filed on Dec. 30 demands that the phrase “so help me God” not be added to the end of the president’s oath of office. Michael Newdow, who filed similar suits over the 2001 and 2005 inauguration ceremonies, is joined by groups advocating atheism and religious freedom. The new lawsuit argues that “there can be no purpose for placing ‘so help me God’ in an oath or sponsoring prayers to God, other than promoting the particular point of view that God exists.” This argument is overblown and interprets a formality in speech as an attack on personal rights. While Newdow believes that there can be no other purpose to the utterance of “God” but the affirmation of God’s existence, I am inclined to believe that there is a symbolic significance in such an invocation. Read more.

Religious oaths are unconstitutional
Source | Kansas State Collegian
According to the Constitution of the United States, the president must swear or affirm dedication to the office. The term ’swear’ correlates with ‘oath,’ which the Oxford English Dictionary defines as a “declaration invoking God … or other object of reverence.” An object of reverence can be anything, religious or not, and the Constitution clearly does not require any religious text be involved. Every president except Theodore Roosevelt has sworn an oath over the Bible in the public inauguration ceremony. Such interference of religion in politics should not be tolerated and is a direct violation of the Constitution. The people of the government, while governing, must use the Constitution and not the Bible as their text of reference. Read more.

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Are planned inaugural festivities too excessive during recession?

Inauguration excess better spent elsewhere
Source | The Daily Athenaeum
The economy is in chaos, bailouts are afoot and hopeful senators are vying for seats left and right. But through all of our country’s various issues, we still can never quite resist a good party. For Obama’s inauguration celebration, Washington, D.C., Mayor Adrian Fenty has estimated that it will cost the city some $47 million, while Maryland and Virginia have estimated their outlay at $12 million and $16 million respectively, according to the Association for Financial Professionals. Indeed, excess has always been a part of America’s DNA. America: the land of plenty, so on and so forth. Read more.

Inaugurating on a shoestring budget
Source | The Pitt News
It seems the presidential inauguration ceremony is above this economic recession, or somehow important enough that the American taxpayers should spend $40 million on what is clearly a second-rate Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. According to the Associate Press, the inauguration ceremony has employed quite a staff, including 432 staff members of the elusive Presidential Inaugural Committee. The origins of this shadowy group are difficult to track down, though I suspect it’s largely comprised of rejected contestants from “The Bachelor” who are desperately trying to relive the extravagance of their champagne and roses days. Only a former contestant of the “The Bachelor” would realistically request not one, not two, not even five, but 10 inaugural balls. Read more.

George Washington U. pays $85,000 for inaugural parade float
Source | The GW Hatchet
If you watch the inaugural parade next Tuesday, you’ll see the new president, marching bands, a JROTC group or two and a float that represents GW. Only, when I look at said float, I won’t just see the confusing mess everyone else will. I’ll see the $85,000 price tag. Obama promises to bring change to Washington, and I think we should be a part of that. Instead of an inauguration float, why not an inauguration scholarship? There would be no better way to support Obama’s “A New Birth of Freedom” theme than by giving the $85,000 to a deserving student who wants to be a part of that at GW. Read more.

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Would it be better to attend the ceremony or watch from home?

Watching the inauguration, minus the mittens
Source | The Northeastern News
The Founding Fathers did a great job putting together the Constitution, if I do say so myself. But I cannot wrap my head around why they decided to make the Presidential Inauguration a ceremony held outdoors, in January. I can imagine George Washington addressing the Constitutional Convention, saying something like, “Well, sure I’ll lead your country, but you’re not swearing me in here in Philadelphia during this absurdly hot summer. Let’s wait a few months, until it really could not possibly be any colder.” Read more.

Top reasons not to go to the Inauguration
Source | Daily Illini
Almost every four years, Jan. 20 brings monumental transition for the nation, and this upcoming inauguration is obviously no exception. People have been counting down the hours to Inauguration 2009 since Nov. 2, 2004. Assuming this campus is no different, since Obama captured two-thirds of the 18-29 vote, I find it my responsibility to convince you why going to the Presidential Inauguration in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 20 will be a colossal waste of time, energy and money. Read more.

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A mini college holiday, dorm subletters and other inaugural issues

Give students a mini-holiday for Obama’s inauguration speech
Source | Daily Bruin
For our country, and for 53 percent of us collectively, our New Year’s celebration begins on Jan. 20, the day President-elect Barack Obama will take his oath, deliver his inaugural address and enumerate his New Year’s resolutions for the nation. In the spirit of these resolutions-to-come, and in celebration of this new beginning for our country, I think we should have a mini-holiday from school. I propose that professors across campus cancel their classes during the hours of President-elect Obama’s inaugural address and give their students a chance to witness history as it’s happening. This would not just be a chance for students to skip out on class; instead, it is an opportunity to see the culmination of a campaign that changed the face of politics by acknowledging that we, the youth, and our ideas, really matter. Read more.

Students shouldn’t sublet dorm rooms for Inauguration
Source | The Eagle
With President-elect Barack Obama’s Jan. 20 inauguration looming nearer, D.C. is preparing itself for record numbers of tourists. While the nation’s excitement is good news for the country, it poses a logistical challenge for those needing a place to stay — and profit-seeking residents are taking notice. If students try to sublet their dorm rooms and apartments to these travelers, they face serious risks. Rooms, houses and apartments are already posted on Craigslist and some have fetched thousands of dollars. Most hotels have stopped taking reservations; potential tenants are desperate and willing to pay. Students need to understand that renting out their apartments or dorm rooms to these random travelers is an absolutely terrible idea. Read more.

Inauguration Day should move to November
Source | Daily Toreador
Before 1937, Inauguration Day was March 4. According to CNN economic commentator, Barry Eichengreen, Hoover and FDR failed to cooperate during the president-elect period from November 1932 to March 1933. The depression was allowed to worsen in the power vacuum. As a result, a constitutional amendment was passed to move Inauguration Day to Jan. 20 which went into effect in 1937. Inauguration Day needs to move to November to prevent such presidential overlap. Read more.

This story was originally published by UWIRE

Inspired Student Watches Inauguration Day in D.C. While Others Head to TVs

By Journalism I

Thousands of University of Tampa students gathered around television sets and computer screens Tuesday to watch the inauguration of America’s first black president, Barack H. Obama.

Ironically, they saw more of the 44^th president than one U.T. student who was actually on the Mall. Although Stefanie Emrith was far from the president, she was also far from disappointed.

“Just being there was enough,” she said, her voice still brimming with excitement eight hours after seeing the speech.

“It was freezing, but nobody complained. Everybody came out: old, disabled, all different races, all different walks of life,” said Emrith, who went to the inauguration as part of a leadership conference. “The town really was buzzing. It was Obama-mania.”

She said the scenes gave her hope for Trinidad, where racial discrimination is common.

“To see a country come together with all races, I was just so glad to be there. Although I’m not American , it was amazing to witness all these people come together to make history.”

Emrith watched the events from the Lincoln Memorial and from near Seventh Street, but eventually the cold forced the Caribbean native to retreat to a hotel lobby.

“We didn’t even get close enough, but nobody complained,” she said. “People were so happy to just witness it that they were chanting his name.”

UT Viewers

Even back in Tampa, sophomore Samantha Saplholz said she could feel the enthusiasm.

“The positive energy of the crowd was overwhelming,” she said.

Allie Taylor said the excitement spread well beyond the inauguration’s estimated 2 million attendees.

”President Obama is an inspiration to the nation,” she said.

Obama’s much anticipated speech recognized the national crisis but offered hope and encouragement, calling on people to take responsibility and to shape a more positive future for the nation.

“Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and begin again the work of remaking America,” Obama said. “For everywhere we look, there is work to be done.”

Since his election, the former community organizer has stressed service, a message that resonates with UT’s P.E.A.C.E. office, which coordinates volunteerism.

Organizers, like Molly Murphy, anticipate Obama will spur interest.

“I think we’ve found he is an influence on our generation,” said Murphy, who is ready for waves of volunteers.  ”If there is an abundance of student volunteers, we are prepared to facilitate them.”

Obama said Americans had made a critical decision.

“On this day we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord,” said Obama, asking Americans to do what they could to make the nation great again.

“This is the price of citizenship,” he said. “This is the source of our confidence. This is the meaning of our liberty and creed.”

Looking forward

With his daughters by his side, Obama said he wanted to ensure the nation’s ideals were passed on to future Americans.

“With fixed eyes on the horizon and God’s grace upon us, we carried fourth the great gift of freedom and deliver it safely to future generations,” Obama said.

While Obama was hopeful in his speech, he said he sees the challenging times ahead.

“Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real,” he said. “Change has come to America.” Obama said.

UT student Katelyn Goodwin said she feels the transition.

“I think big changes are coming,” she said. “He spoke like a leader.”

Conservative Support

Even those who didn’t vote for Obama said they support the new president. Some are even ready to go to war for him.

Two ROTC students, Ryan Enix and Tony Gaeta, were eager to give their opinion about the inauguration, as well as the campaign.

“We followed the campaign throughout, however, voted for McCain,” said Enix and Gaeta. Both students felt that McCain would lead the country better in a time of war due to McCain’s strong military background, which Obama lacks. However, “As Commander in Chief, we support Obama and would follow orders if put into that situation in the future,” said Enix.

Jason Bass, a sophomore, said in his predominantly conservative hometown, Obama had won over a number of supporters.

“He connects with the younger generation,” he said.

Bass watched the Inauguration in his English 102 class and was assigned to write a paper on the format and content of the speech.

“I thought the speech was very well done and very powerful,” he said. “I hope he will act on his words.”

Freshman Alex Caraballo agreed.

“It’s about time to move towards a progressive agenda. He needs to establish America as
a moral authority and come together as one.”

Watching the Inauguration

Most students who had class during the events watched them on television. Senior Stephanie Whitehall watched during her screenwriting class.

“It was such a historical moment,” Whitehall said. “When future generations ask you where you were during Obama’s inauguration, you don’t want to say you were just in a room doing nothing. Just by watching it, we became a part of history.”

A few students who didn’t watch the speech reasoned that with today’s technology the full broadcast would be streaming instantly. One student, John Dolan, was waiting until later to watch it on his computer. Junior Deja Smith was waiting too.

“I have it recording at home,” she said. “It comes to show you how America is changing.”

Many UT professors let their students out early to watch the event.

“Right when I got out of class, I turned it on,” said junior Bryan Cormier, who was at first underwhelmed. He had recalled John F. Kennedy’s stirring inauguration speech in which he famously said, “Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.”

But soon, the president’s speech had won Cormier over.

“As I reflected on Obama’s overall message, I got more excited.”

The Obama supporter said he once saw him in Boston.

“His theme of unifying our country and breaking down the Republican/Democrat barriers is inspiring,” he said.

Nicole Sicignano, senior, watched the inauguration in her criminology class.

“Everyone was really excited to watch it,” Sicignano said. “They loved everything he said and had to offer.”

Sicignano, who has been an Obama supporter since he started his campaign, liked his speech.

“I loved what he said about equality and education,” Sicignano said.

Junior Ashley Whitney was also excited to watch Obama’s speech, but the classmates in her Racial and Ethnic Relations class thought differently.

“In the beginning, they were making fun,” said junior Ashlea Whitney, who voted for Obama in her very first presidential election.

Inauguration Bits & Bytes: Sick Senators, Security, Poets and Pomp

By Journalism I

Senators Become Ill

Today’s inauguration ceremonies ran smoothly until two U.S senators both required medical attention.

Senator Ted Kennedy (D- MA), 76, suffered a mild seizure during the inauguration lunch, and Senator Robert Byrd (D-VA), 91, required medical attention after being distraught over Kennedy’s seizure, CNN reported.

Byrd has since recovered, and Kennedy was transported to Washington Hospital Center.

“After testing, we believe the incident was brought on by simple fatigue,” neurologist Edward Aulisi said. “Senator Kennedy is awake, talking with family and friends, and feeling well.”

Kennedy is expected to be released Wednesday.

In May of 2008, Kennedy suffered his first seizure, later determined to be caused by a malignant brain tumor, which was removed in June. Throughout his treatment, Kennedy continued his staunch support.

Earlier around the Mall, the frigid temperatures hospitalized roughly 20 people before 10 a.m., MSNBC reported.

Inaugural Poem Gets Mixed Reviews

Obama chose his friend, poet Elizabeth Alexander, to read the inaugural poem “Praise Song for the Day.” The Yale University professor of African-American studies is a former faculty colleague from Obama’s teaching days at the University of Chicago.

Within hours of the reading of the inaugural poem there were already comments posted on the Internet.

The majority of people feel that the poem was too simple and slowly delivered, lacking appropriate depth and passion for the moment.

Others loved it and believed the poem was true and faithful, its simple words creating complex and detailed pictures.

Safety and Security by the Numbers

• 170 million – Estimated dollar amount the inauguration cost
• 20,000 – National Guardsmen ready to respond if there was an emergency
• 10,000 – National Guardsmen on site
• 8,000 – Police officers from the District of Columbia
• 5,000 – Portable restrooms (Yes, that’s safety)
• 1,000 – FBI personnel
• 150 – Number of multi-agency intel teams in the region
• 5 – Number of inches thick “The Beast” (Obam’s limo) is
• 1- P-3 Reconnaissance plane overhead (aka “The Rover”)
• 1 – Number of limousines named “The Beast”
• 0 – Number of vulnerabilities “The Beast” has. RPGs, chemical and biological weapons don’t even stand a chance.

Office Space

To ensure an early start and good seats, Jordan Conrad, a 22-year-old Concordia student and his Canadian friends spent the night in a D.C. office building.

He said the scene at the mall was “post apocalyptic.”

“It was like the world had just ended and the only place life existed was on the Mall,” he said. “Some streets were completely desolate, blocked off by Greyhound buses while others were filled with people who were literally neck to neck.”

Inaugural Traditions

Obama’s inauguration had several allusions to Abraham Lincoln at the bicentennial anniversary of  Lincoln’s birth. Obama swore to “preserve, protect and defend”  the country with his  hand  on the  same  Bible  that  Lincoln used.

The oath included the same 37 words spoken since the time of George Washington. It comes from Article II , Section I  of the U.S. Constitution. It’s the only sentence in the document that is in quotation marks: “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

According to the US Senate website, George Washington added “So help me God”, and  so has every president since.

Obama marks the first president since John F. Kennedy to bring children into the White House.

Calvin Coolidge had the first radio cast, and Harry S. Truman had the first television  broadcast.

The post-oath celebrations have evolved into their own tradition, all planned by the a committee. The inaugural parade began with Washington’s travel from his home in Mount Vernon, Va. to New York City.

The inaugural balls have been part of the celebration since James Madison’s 1989 inauguration. Bill Clinton’s second inauguration set the current record of 14.

Sources: cnn.com, inaugural.senate.gov/2009/, http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/pihtml/pihome.html