Posted on 02/23/2005 3:17:19 PM PST by AFA-Michigan
Family group: EMU tuition plan violates constitution, attorney general and lawmakers should investigate
YPSILANTI, Mich. -- Eastern Michigan University's new expansion of a half-off tuition break for students involved in homosexual relationships with university employees violates the state's constitution by recognizing and treating such relationships as equal or similar to marriage, a statewide family values organization said Wednesday in a statement delivered to Attorney General Mike Cox and lawmakers responsible for higher education funding and oversight.
The American Family Association of Michigan -- a lead supporter of the Marriage Protection Amendment last year added to the state constitution by voters -- urged Cox and legislative leaders to investigate the planned expansion of EMU's half-off tuition plan and take steps to stop its implementation.
Administrators at EMU and other Michigan universities "are not above the law or exempt from the principles enshrined by vote of the people in our state constitution," AFA-Michigan President Gary Glenn wrote in a statement to Cox, Senate Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Sen. Michael Goschka, R-Saginaw, and House Higher Education and Career Preparation Committee Chairman Rep. Lorence Wenke, R-Kalamazoo.
"On behalf of Michigan taxpayers," Glenn wrote, "the American Family Association of Michigan urges you to conduct fact-finding, hold public hearings, seek a court order or take whatever other action may be necessary to end -- or cut off funding for -- EMU officials' abuse of taxpayers' dollars and any similar violations of our state constitution you discover by other government employers."
"By vote of the people of Michigan, our state government -- and that includes state university officials -- are required to recognize marriage as being only between one man and one woman," Glenn wrote. "Conversely, government employers are prohibited from recognizing or treating homosexual relationships as equal or similar to marriage, which is clearly the intent and effect of EMU's unconstitutional policy."
Glenn said the issue is a matter of fairness. "If EMU officials can't afford to give half off tuition to the family and friends of all university employees, how can they justify singling out only those employees involved in homosexual activity for special treatment and benefits?"
He said that if every EMU employee were allowed to designate an individual, no matter the relationship, as eligible to receive the half-off tuition break, that policy would not violate the state constitution. However, singling out EMU employees specifically on the basis of their involvement in a homosexual relationship, and offering the special benefit of having that relationship treated as equal or similar to marriage, is now unconstitutional.
"What's particularly galling to many taxpayers is that by giving students involved in homosexual behavior half off their tuition, EMU officials force taxpayers and other students to make up the difference and thereby subsidize behavior they sincerely believe is wrong," Glenn said.
Most taxpayers oppose tax funding of such benefits, he said, citing a Detroit Free Press poll conducted last September in the heat of public debate over the proposed Marriage Protection Amendment. The poll found that "54 percent say local governments and universities should not provide benefits, such as health and life insurance, to the partners of gay and lesbian employees," the Free Press reported Oct. 2nd. http://www.freep.com/news/politics/marriagepoll2e_20041002.htm
Glenn said the new constitutional definition of marriage will not immediately affect EMU's policy of giving half-off tuition to students involved in homosexual relationships with unionized EMU employees covered by a collective bargaining contract. Under federal contract and labor law, no state policy can abrogate an existing contract, but the new constitutional provision will be applicable when current labor contracts expire or are renegotiated.
The constitutional provision does apply immediately, he said, to EMU's new policy -- announced after the Nov. 4th election at which the Marriage Protection Amendment was approved -- of giving half off tuition to students involved in homosexual relationships with university employees who are not covered by a union contract.
"The cost associated with this change is projected to be in the range of $2,000 per year for each same sex domestic partner," EMU officials said in a Nov. 30th news release. (http://www.emich.edu/univcomm/releases/113004BORbennies.html) But Glenn said the cost to taxpayers and other students could be even higher if the half-off benefit is applied to higher non-resident tuition paid by out-of-state students.
The Ann Arbor News reported Dec. 4th that EMU's Board of Regents "approved the tuition waiver benefit, which reduces tuition by half, for same-sex partners of non-union EMU employees...which include(s) administrators, coaches, and administrative secretaries."
Glenn said in addition to violating Michigan's constitution, the new EMU policy "recklessly validates, encourages, even uses our tax dollars to financially subsidize and reward unhealthy, self-destructive homosexual behavior that medical research says may literally cut up to 20 years off the lives of EMU students who engage in such behavior."
He cited a study published by Oxford University's International Journal of Epidemiology which reported that due to the increased incidence of life-threatening disease associated with homosexual behavior, "life expectancy at age 20 years for gay and bisexual men is 8 to 20 years less than for all men."
* Original citation by International Journal of Epidemiology: http://ije.oupjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/26/3/657?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&searchid=1021138136284_166&stored_search=&FIRSTINDEX=0&minscore=50&journalcode=intjepid
* Also cited by Canadian Medical Association Journal at: http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/content/full/162/1/21#SEC3
They would love that. That's the end game.
I am with you all the way, this is the last rung on the "diversity" ladder and is just one more minority demanding their special rights for voting in a block for democrats. (Of course the radical Islamics want to demand their rights too, but we are already in a fighting war with them.)
It won't work, I will not join the PC crowd on this or any other PC cr*p. It will end up being a loser for the party that has already caved on their 2nd ammendment position. they will give up on this one when they see how firmly our feet are set.
PS, thanks for setting the tone.
So if you have two 'relationships', do you get in free?
But straight EMU employees can do this already, can't they? Marry me for four years and get half off tuition.
Yup, the steam roller of destruction rolls on.
I thought this strange: "Glenn said the new constitutional definition of marriage..."
NEW definition of marriage?
Why are a tiny minority of mentally sick sexual deviants running the show? Anyone know?
Could it be that we let them?
What's "new" is the constitutional amendment that for the first time, in Michigan at least, defines marriage in the constitution.
I believe that I see the angle they are coming from, but lets face it, whether you are in a homosexual relationship, a heterosexual relationship, it seems to me to be preferential treatment if you're screwing a school employee.
This is a bunch of BS.
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