Jeremy Chesman, Associate Professor of Music at Missouri State University, who has been heavily involved in the movement, noted, “Missouri State University will now be joining many other fine institutions who have made this decision. This move will make the Missouri State University more competitive and help attract both high quality employees and students.”
Missouri State University is not new to long-fought battles for inclusive policies. In 2006, after a 13 year push, they added sexual orientation to their nondiscrimination policy. Both Student Government and Faculty Senate have both passed resolutions supporting the total inclusion of health care benefits previous to the decision today.
Steph Perkins, Deputy Director of PROMO, Missouri’s statewide LGBT organization, added, “This is a great step forward. This is another example of how the academic community, along with the business community, is leading the way in protecting and valuing the overall health and well-being of their employees, regardless of who they love. We applaud them for making this decision.”
Changes to employee benefits include the updated definition of a “Sponsored dependent” which is now defined as a “person who meets all of the following criteria: (1) be at least 18 years old and mentally competent to consent to contract; (2) have shared the same permanent residence and the common necessities of life with the employee for at least the previous 12 months; (3) not be legally married to anyone else in any state; (4) not be related by blood or a degree of closeness to the employee that would prohibit legal marriage in the State of Missouri; (5) have a single dedicated relationship with the employee of at least 12 months duration; (6) not be a renter, boarder or tenant of the employee,” according to the documents given to the Board of Governors.
Dr. Holly Baggett, a professor in the history department at Missouri State University, concluded, “I could not be prouder of Missouri State University and the passage of domestic partner benefits. As someone who fought for over a decade simply to get ‘sexual orientation’ in the nondiscrimination policy, I see this progress as truly historic. The university has not always been a welcoming place for the LGBT community. Today I honestly feel, for the first time, a truly valued and equal member of the MSU community.”