From: Scott Safier Date: Sat, 29 Jan 94 12:54:48 EST To: partners@cs Subject: Ithaca College cited for discrimination From: shore@dinah.tc.cornell.edu (Melinda Shore) Newsgroups: soc.motss [ Copied without permission from "The Ithaca Journal," 1/27/94 ] The Tompkins County Human Rights Commission has backed up a claim of discrimination by 12 residence hall directors against Ithaca College. The residence directors argued the college's restriction on on-campus, residence-director apartments to "legally married couples" unfairly discriminated against unmarried, gay or lesbian couples. The commission's finding, released Tuesday, supports the residence directors' contention. "It validates that we're not crazy, that yes, indeed, our rights have been violated," said Robin McColley, one of the 12 residence directors. But, she added, "In the bigger sense, since the college hasn't budged (to this point), it's going to be a struggle." The college has maintained its policy is legal and is based on apartment dwellers' legal relationships -- that McColleyis [sic], on their being married or not married -- not on sexual orientation. "It really isn't Ithaca College's fault that same-sex partners cannot have a legal relationship under current state law," said John Oblak, vice president for student affairs at IC. The college's policy, he said, is a "legal decision and nothing else." [ ... ] The decision, mailed to the residence directors and college administrators, said that the college's policy constituted an illegal hiring practice, and that living in the apartments, for directors, is a "condition of employment." It cited a portion of the county's Local Law C, passed in 1991, which prohibits discrimination because of sexual orientation "in compensation or in terms, conditions, or privileges of employment." [ ... ] Wednesday night, at Ithaca Common Council's Committee of the Whole meeting, Alderwoman Roey Thorpe [openly lesbian alderwoman elected to Common Council last November], asked council to make an official show of support for the 12 Ithaca College residence hall directors in their discrimination complaint against the college. "I think it's important that we support these people who are in a risky situation," Thorpe said. But after some discussion with council members, Thorpe decided against drafting a resolution -- which couldn't be voted on until next week's meeting -- and decided instead to ask council members, individually, to sign a letter of support for the residence hall directors, to be sent to Itahca College President James J. Whalen. [ ... ] -- Melinda Shore - Cornell Theory Center - shore@tc.cornell.edu