By Ari Bloomekatz
Enquirer staff writer

Nearly five months after publicly opposing Gov. Bob Taft's approval of the Ohio Defense of Marriage Act, Miami University President James Garland announced the university will offer benefits for faculty and staff in same-sex partnerships as early as next week.

The resolution extends benefits such as tuition discounts, health and dental insurance, recreational membership and sick leave.

Garland announced the decision during the university's last trustees' meeting of the year in Oxford. The board did not discuss the president's decision before unanimously endorsing it, and the item was not on the agenda.

Trustees are not required to approve changes in benefits, but Garland said he wanted to give board members an opportunity to voice their decision in public.

"This is primarily a business decision," Garland said, adding that several universities and many Fortune 500 companies have similar policies. The university needs to remain competitive, he said.

"When we're recruiting, we don't ask (a potential hire's) sexual orientation. But we do know that for many gay individuals, this is a very important issue."

Richard Nault, vice president of student affairs at Miami, said the university has lost faculty and staff who went to other institutions where benefits were provided.

Miami University now pays about $50 million in faculty and staff benefits annually. University officials said additional benefits for gay and lesbian employees would amount to $50,000 to $100,000 extra.

Garland challenged the Defense of Marriage Act in February because he said it would hurt recruitment - a stance he was criticized on because Miami did not offer benefits to same-sex couples at the time.

"Based on our experience, I am concerned that many prospective faculty members will pass over job positions in Ohio, because of this legislation," Garland wrote in a letter urging Taft to deny the legislation in February.

The responsibility to formulate a policy that keeps higher education institutions competitive fell on universities after the act was passed, Garland said.

Ohio University in Athens mirrored Miami's decision and offered a similar resolution during its trustees' meeting Friday. A spokesman for Ohio University said the two schools are now the first public universities in Ohio to offer this extensive of a benefits package to homosexuals.

In order to obtain benefits, homosexual employees at Miami will have to sign affidavits that they have been in long-term relationships and intend to keep the same partners indefinitely.

The University of Cincinnati does not provide domestic partner benefits, said spokesman Greg Hand.