DN THURSDAY, JUNE 27, 2013
MUSIC FOR ALL: STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN WEEK OF MUSIC PG. 6 DOMA & PROPOSITION 8
THE DAILY NEWS
BSUDAILY.COM
Lawsuit ends in Ball State victory Supreme Court MAJORITY upholds definition of « There is no evidence supervisor in case that BSU
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RACHEL PODNAR STAFF REPORTER rmpodnar@bsu.edu
Ball State came out on the winning end of a Supreme Court decision regarding workplace discrimination this week. On Monday, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in favor of Ball State in Vance v. Ball State, in which it found the university responded appropriately to complaints of a hostile work environment in an employeeto-employee setting. The Supreme Court’s dominant question was whether or not to uphold the previous definition of a supervisor in workplace discrimination cases. They did uphold previous court’s interpretation of a supervisor which, under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, is someone who has the power to make hiring and firing decisions about employees. In situations of workplace discrimination, an organization is liable if superiors within the organization are practicing discrimination, or if complaints of discrimination on an employee-to-employee level are not met with proper investigation and action.
empowered Davis to take any tangible employment actions against Vance. » SAMUEL ALITO, a Justice
DISSENT
« The
ball is ... in Congress’ court to ... restore the robust protections against workplace harassment the Court weakens today. »
MCT PHOTO
Demonstrators gather in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on June 25 in Washington, D.C. The court struck down a section of the Defense of Marriage Act.
Court strikes DOMA Law previously denied federal benefits to married gay couples THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — In a historic victory for gay rights, the Supreme Court on Wednesday struck down a provision of a federal law denying federal benefits to married gay couples and cleared the way for the resumption of same-sex marriage in California. The justices issued two 5-4 rulings in their final session of the term. One decision wiped away part of a federal anti-gay marriage law that has kept legally married same-sex couples from receiving tax, health and pension benefits. The other was a technical ruling that said nothing at all about same-sex marriage, but left in place a trial court’s declaration that California’s Proposition 8 is unconstitutional. Gov. Jerry Brown quickly ordered that marriage licenses be issued to gay couples as soon
as a federal appeals court lifts its hold on the lower court ruling, possibly next month. In neither case did the court make a sweeping statement, either in favor of or against same-sex marriage. And in a sign that neither victory was complete for gay rights, the high court said nothing about the validity of gay marriage bans in California and roughly three dozen other states. A separate provision of the federal marriage law that allows a state to not recognize a same-sex union from elsewhere remains in place. President Barack Obama praised the court’s ruling on the federal marriage act, which he labeled “discrimination enshrined in law.” “It treated loving, committed gay and lesbian couples as a separate and lesser class of people,” Obama said in a statement. “The Su-
Sept. 21, 1996 Former President Bill Clinton signed DOMA into law, defining marriage as between a man and a woman. The Senate’s final vote to pass the bill was 85-14. May 15, 2008 California Supreme Court overturns voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage, California becomes the second state to allow gays and lesbians to marry. Nov. 4, 2008 Voters approve Proposition 8, a ballot measure that amends the state constitution to limit marriage to a union between a man and a woman. About 18,000 gay couples have married during the five-month window before it takes effect the next day.
See VANCE, page 2
Ball State officials says students could pay $10 more per month
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DANIEL HUTCHINSON STAFF REPORTER dmhutchinson@bsu.edu
Students around the BY THE NUMBERS country will see a massive student loan interest rate increase next current rate of student week if Congress is un- loan increase able to act before the end of the week. The current rate of projected rate increase is 3.4 percent will double Congress is unable to act to 6.8 percent for fed- before the end of the week eral student loans on July 1. “Looking at the estimated amount of time rate doubling, we it takes a graduate to pay would estimate that back the student loans to be an $8 to $10 increase in payment per month on a student the average amount a Ball loan,” said Rob Wirt, State student can expect to director of financial pay in the 10 years it takes aid, scholarships and to pay back their loans outreach. Wirt added that most students take about 10 years to pay back their student loans, but depending on how much money graduates earn, the payments can stretch out to many more years, making the impact of this rate increase greater. According to Wirt’s data, the average Ball State student can expect to pay $1,200 more on loans in the 10 years in takes to pay them back. And, if the loan is extended through other repayment plans, the costs increases.
3.4 percent
6.8 percent 10 years $1,200
See LOANS, page 2
No same-sex marriage Full marriage equlity (State-sanctioned and federally recognized) DN GRAPHIC MICHAEL BOEHNLEIN SOURCE: Human Rights Campaign
HOOSIERS CELEBRATE DOMA, PROP 8 RULING Supporters say decision means hope in future progress for gay couples
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SAM HOYT AND DAKOTA CRAWFORD news@bsudailynews.com
Part of the Defense of Marriage Act was overturned by the Supreme Court Wednesday, and supportive Hoosiers crowded the Statehouse steps to celebrate. Amid singing, dancing and flag-waving, Chris Paulsen, president of the equal rights group Indiana Equality Action, brought the decision home for the attentive crowd. “This will immediately have effects for people who live here in Indiana,” Paulsen said. “Bi-national couples have some rights that they didn’t have yesterday. That is a great day for some Hoosiers.” Gov. Mike Pence said in a statement that he was disappointed by the high court’s decision. “I believe marriage is the union between a man and a woman and is a unique institution worth defending in our state and nation,” he said. “For thousands of years, marriage has served as the glue that holds families and societies
together and so it should ever be.” Pence also said the people of Indiana should have their say on how marriage is defined in the state. “I look forward to supporting efforts by members of the Indiana General Assembly to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot for voter consideration next year,” he said. Jaime Whitaker, president of Ball State’s Spectrum, the university’s gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and straight ally organization, said the Supreme Court’s decision is a huge step in the right direction. “It was an amazing day,” Whitaker said. “We were still hoping for more, hoping that it would just finally be legal everywhere.” He said there is still work to be done, but it does have big implications for him. “For me, if you had to say it in just one word, it means hope,” Whitaker said. “I have, since I was young, always wanted to be married in my hometown with all of my family that lives there. To see the Supreme Court shoot down DOMA gives me hope that in the near future or sometime in my life I can see that happen.”
See HOPEFUL, page 4
Feb. 7, 2012 The 9th Circuit rules Proposition 8 is unconstitutional, saying it serves no purpose other than to “lessen the status and human dignity” of gays. May 9, 2012 President Obama’s became the first sitting president to endorse same-sex marriage. As a senator of Illinois and a presidential candidate in 2004, he endorsed civil unions but opposed gay marriage. But in 2012 he told ABC that his opinions changed. June 26, 2013 The Supreme Court votes 5-4 to let stand Walker’s ruling striking down Prop 8, holding that the coalition of religious conservative groups that qualified the initiative for the ballot did not have authority to defend it after state officials refused to do so. The Supreme Court rules DOMA unconstitutional.
WHAT EFFECT DO YOU THINK THE SUPREME COURT’S DECISION WILL HAVE ON GAY RIGHTS IN THE COUNTRY?
« It’s a step
in the right direction, but it’s not enough. You could draw a lot of parallels to this social movement to the Civil Rights Movement. The law may change but there will still be that prejudice.
»
JON CONWAY, a communication studies graduate student
« It’s really
good. It’s good that they are acknowledging them as a marriage and not trying and find ways to treat them not like they’re legitimate couples.
»
RAVEN WILLIAMS, a senior journalism education major
THE BALL STATE DAILY NEWS
MUNCIE, INDIANA
STOCK UP ON FIREWORKS BEFORE THEY’RE ALL GONE.
See DOMA, page 4
SAME-SEX MARRIAGE TIMELINE
STATE BREAK DOWN
RUTH BADER GINSBURG, a Justice
Student loan rates set to double July 1
preme Court has righted that wrong, and our country is better off for it.” House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said he was disappointed in the outcome of the feder- COLUMN al marriage case and hoped REACTIONS states continue to define TO DOMA marriage as the union of a See what Ashley Dye and Daniel man and a woman. Brount think of The ruling in the Califor- the decisions nia case was not along ide+ PAGE 5 ological lines. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the majority opinion, joined by Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Elena Kagan and Antonin Scalia.
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« It’s a push
[for gay rights]. However, we live in a world where religion plays a large role in people’s political agendas, and as long as that ideal is set up I don’t think homosexuality will be accepted.
»
CHAD RAGAN, a senior English education major
VOL. 92, ISSUE 131 TWEET US
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