In the wake of a recent Supreme Court ruling, Penn State is reviewing their current policies regarding benefits for partners of its gay and lesbian faculty members.

Some people have raised questions about the adoption of full domestic partner benefits because of the court's controversial decision in Lawrence v. Texas, which ruled that members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community are allowed to be intimate in the privacy of their own homes.

The ruling has excited many LBGT groups and given them confidence to make progress in other areas, like adoption of domestic partner benefits.

At Penn State, an Employee Assistance Fund, established last fall, provides financial assistance to full-time faculty and staff members in a time of crisis.

The fund may also be extended to provide assistance for same-sex couples.

Billie Willits, associate vice president for the Office of Human Resources, said efforts to modify Penn State's benefits policy have been steady.

Willits, who administers the private fund, said the university is working with other institutions and state legislators to change the policy. She said faculty and staff continue to be supportive of the addition, and that President Graham Spanier is a "very strong advocate."

Spanier could not be reached for comment.

However, Terrell Jones, vice provost of educational equity, said he is unaware of current moves to change the university's policy and thinks recent budget cuts may slow attempts to implement domestic partner benefits.

"Certainly we are supportive," Jones said. "But we'd also like to see us get a budget."

The question of domestic partner benefits is currently important to Penn State because of the university's ongoing pursuit to form an LGBT minor.

Sara Ryan, co-president of Allies, is working to establish the LGBT minor. She is concerned that Penn State will not be able to bring in some high-quality faculty members to the university without the ability to grant them benefits.

"The emergency [Employee] Assistance Fund is a temporary fix for a big problem," Ryan said. "In order to have an LGBT minor, we need faculty members to teach it."

Ryan said Penn State has lost LGBT faculty members to other Big Ten universities who have benefits programs in place.

The University of Iowa and the University of Minnesota were among the first to have them, while the University of Indiana is the most recent addition to the list of universities with established programs.