The university’s benefits packages do not extend to same-sex partners, Interim University President the Rev. William Byron, S.J., said last Friday in response to an Internet-based petition that questioned such a stance.
The petition started when Ecoee Rooney, a Loyola graduate student, requested that her female partner be given a student family membership to the Recreational Sports Complex. After the entire application process, Rooney’s partner was denied the student family membership. Rooney eventually wrote an e-mail message expressing her disappointment to Vice President of Student Affairs James Eiseman, and received a response that said Loyola only offers benefits to married couples “as defined by the Church and by the laws of the State of Louisiana.”
Another Jesuit institution, Loyola University of Chicago extends its benefits to same-sex partners, as does the City of New Orleans.
When word of Rooney’s situation reached Loyola graduate Richard Clayton he and English senior Stephanie Margherio, Loyola’s Amnesty International secretary, worked together to develop a Web site through JustNewOrleans.com to petition administrators on Rooney’s behalf.
The petition says that “Loyola University New Orleans is currently imposing a discriminatory policy by only allowing membership in the Recreational Sports Complex to those domestic partners of members in the university community in heterosexual unions while denying membership to domestic partners of those in the university community in homosexual unions.”
Loyola’s official policy on discrimination is that the school “has fully supported and fostered in its educational programs, admissions, employment practices and in the activities it operates the policy of not discriminating on the basis of age, color, disability, national origin, race, religion, sex/gender or sexual orientation.”
Nearly 300 students, faculty, alumni and others put their names on the Internet petition, and many more sent letters to top administrators. But Byron cited Loyola’s Catholic affiliation when he flatly rejected the petition at the spring faculty convocation and quoted from Eiseman’s e-mail, adding that Loyola “should not encourage immoral behavior.”
World religions senior Nick Nevares, co-president of gay student group Etcetera said that Byron “is an extremely respectable man who is doing what he feels is right.”
But, according to Nevares, “he needs to realize that gay people aren’t going anywhere.”
Rooney said that Byron’s stand has not pushed her to change schools, but that “it’s a big disappointment.”
“I have given it a lot of thought,” Rooney said, “because I expected this type of response.”
Margherio said that despite Byron’s statements at the convocation, the issue might be brought up again next year.
“Some faculty members who I spoke with were thinking of taking a slightly different approach,” Margherio said.
Loyola and Tulane students have joint use of each other’s facilities, and Margherio said that because Tulane gives benefits to same-sex partners, Loyola might be obligated to extend such benefits as well.
“It would be a prudent thing,” Margherio said. “It’s not a reciprocal agreement right now.”
Rooney said, “It’s interesting to me that it’s not being seen as a human rights issue. They have no problem accepting my tuition money.”
Nevares said that Etcetera members are keeping in mind that Byron is only serving in an interim position.
“That type of rule isn’t going to play well in the long run,” Nevares said.
