THE ISSUE: Gov. Doyle has proposed offering benefits to unmarried couples in the UW System.

People entering the workforce or undergoing a job transition tend to look at more than a yearly salary when deciding what job to take or turn down. And when it comes to working for the state or national government or system, benefits come in high demand.

According to an article in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Gov. Jim Doyle proposed domestic partner benefits for all state employees including those working for the UW System. It would cost the System roughly $1.3 million to add the benefits to every employee’s contract, according to the article.

Doyle called for the same benefits for state and System employees in his last budget, but it failed to pass through the Republican controlled legislature, according to the article.

Despite the opposition in the past, domestic partner benefits would be a great asset to the System’s ability to keep and recruit professors and faculty members. UW-Madison is the only school in the Big Ten that fails to cover this base, and it is easy to see that Wisconsin colleges have lost a competitive edge in the potential job market.

The System needs to continue to develop and progress, and these benefits would help to bring in different and new perspectives to the college teaching atmosphere.

Even though the state of Wisconsin voiced its opposition to civil unions and domestic partnerships in the last election, the benefits programs would not disregard state opinion. Many voters opposed civil unions solely on the grounds that it would allow homosexuals to marry. The proposed benefits would not focus on homosexual couples, but rather the majority of straight partners that choose not to marry.

It is important to note that some Big Ten schools’ states passed bans on gay marriage but still offer domestic partner benefits within their college systems.

While the issue of domestic partnerships has been a hotly contested political topic, it does not overshadow the fact that the System is losing ground on surrounding states because of its failure to accommodate quality professors and faculty members.