The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Friday that the Constitution guarantees a right to same-sex marriage. What will the affect be on higher education?
For most colleges, not much.
But for others — in particular, Christian colleges — the ruling beckons toward an uncertain future. Some people at Christian colleges worry that they might lose federal benefits if they don’t change their own policies on same-sex relationships and marriages.
Since colleges have been dealing with a "patchwork of laws across states," the ruling will probably make it easier for institutions to support gay students and professors, said Suzanne B. Goldberg, director of the Sexuality and Gender Law Clinic at the Columbia University Law School, which filed a brief with the Supreme Court in support of same-sex marriage.
Colleges in states that have already legalized same-sex marriage have recognized benefits for those employees already. While the ruling will lead to a potential increase in benefits for same-sex couples who do get married, same-sex couples receiving co-habituation benefits who choose not to wed could see those benefits disappear, said Brian Powell, a professor of sociology at Indiana University at Bloomington.
Read more at The Chronicle of Higher Education: http://chronicle.com/article/What-the-Landmark-Ruling-on/231203