MACON, Ga. (ABP) — As one university affiliated with the Georgia Baptist Convention captured headlines with a new policy that effectively bans gay employees, another historically Georgia Baptist school announced adoption of a domestic-partner benefit policy providing access to health care and other benefits to employees and partners regardless of sexual orientation.
Colin Harris, a professor of religious studies at Mercer, wrote about the new policy in a commentary for EthicsDaily.com, website of the Baptist Center for Ethics, contrasting Mercer’s approach to that of Shorter University’s new requirement to sign a “personal lifestyle statement” disavowing acts including homosexuality.
Harris quoted Mercer President Bill Underwood indicating the new benefits policy “brings Mercer into line with other leading private universities in our region, including Emory, Duke, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, Tulane, Furman, Rollins, Elon and Stetson.”
“It is also consistent with our established policy of not discriminating against employees based on sexual orientation,” Underwood continued. "While I understand that some will be concerned about providing access to health and other benefits for these loved ones of our colleagues, I am persuaded that it is the right thing to do."
Mercer spokesperson Larry Brumley said Nov. 2 the policy was one of several matters communicated to faculty and staff in a recent “fall update” e-mail. Brumley, senior vice president for marketing communications, said the timing with Shorter’s action was coincidental.
“It’s not connected,” Brumley said. “It’s really kind of ironic that these two things happened in proximity to each other.”
Brumley said Underwood appointed a team last spring to explore how other schools, including historically Baptist colleges and universities, are handling the issue and recommended implementation this fall.
“It’s become a best practice in higher education,” Brumley explained.
Mercer was founded by Georgia Baptists in 1833. The Georgia Baptist Convention voted to sever its 172-year relationship with Mercer in 2005, citing several years of declining trust between the convention’s conservative leaders and Mercer’s moderate board of trustees.
Bob Allen is managing editor of Associated Baptist Press.