Eastern has changed the eligibility for living in the university apartments to include civil unions instead of domestic partnerships.

President Bill Perry approved a revision to the university policy for University Housing to include civil union as eligible for housing in the university apartment, according to Internal Governing Policy 94.

The change in the policy is in response to the state’s requirement of which the university can and cannot rent university property to, said Mark Hudson, the director of Housing and Dining

The revision is a change of the definition of whom the university can rent too, Hudson said. The policy previously only applied to married couples. In order for a couple to live in the university apartments, they had to have a marriage certificate on file.

“About four years ago, we instituted what was called a ‘domestic partner policy,'” Hudson said. “That was in response to a state law that defined the requirements from the states as to who you can rent to. It allowed the whole category of domestic partners.”

Then Illinois changed the law to recognize domestic partnerships.

In response, Eastern changed its policy to comply with the law and define what makes a domestic partnership. A couple had to follow certain criteria.

Under this policy, students had to prove they had a domestic partnership with such requirements as joint bank accounts and property or car leases, Hudson said. It was a complicated process to define a domestic partnership, he added.

Since Illinois now recognizes civil unions, Eastern changed the definition in the policy again. Instead of a long process to prove a domestic partnership, Eastern can use a civil union certificate from the state of Illinois, Hudson said.

Eastern’s housing policy states University Apartments will provide living accommodations for married couples, graduate students, non-traditional students, individuals with dependent children and parties to civil unions as defined by Public Act 096-1513

“When the state signed into law the civil unions law, now that really replaces the domestic partner as the way that you can certify that you are in a relationship other than just by a marriage certificate,” Hudson said.

The policy revisions will affect only the university apartments, Hudson said. Since the residential halls and university court is single student living, they will not be affected by the change.

“It’s really the University Apartments where we have our family units,” Hudson said.

This policy will take affect during the next contracting cycle this summer.

Samantha McDaniel can be reached at 581-7942

or [email protected]