MSU's Anti-Discrimination Judicial Board heard comments Wednesday in a case involving former Mason Hall assistant director Carolyn O'Laughlin.

O'Laughlin filed a grievance against Residence Life after officials said her domestic partner, Rebecca Linz, was not allowed to live in the residence hall.

O'Laughlin's job required her to live on campus and officials said she would be disciplined and eventually terminated if Linz didn't move out. O'Laughlin, a student affairs graduate student, resigned from her position in March.

Domestic partners of faculty and staff are granted benefits.

"I was not allowed to do my job because I have a partner," she said, adding it was hypocritical for Residence Life to promote diversity but shun her.

Family community services senior Kendra Kearney said Residence Life's policy is a "don't ask, don't tell" situation.

Kearney has been advocating student domestic partner benefits after her partner, 1997 graduate B.J. Whipp, was denied access to benefits such as insurance coverage and an MSU identification card in 2001.

O'Laughlin said Residence Life's actions create a hostile atmosphere for MSU's lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender community.

"It's blatant homophobia," she said. "What does this tell students who identify with LBGT or for students learning about diversity?"

Val Meyers, president of MSU's Gay Lesbian Faculty Staff and Graduate Student Association said O'Laughlin's discrimination case has greater implications.

"There are only certain kinds of diversity that are welcome here," she said. "The organization supports them seeking equal benefits."

O'Laughlin said it wasn't until after her situation went public that Residence Life officials said they would wait for the judiciary board's recommendations before pursuing disciplinary action.

Residence Life officials did not return calls Wednesday.

ASMSU, the Residence Halls Association and Council of Graduate Students have all declared they support domestic partner benefits. ASMSU is MSU's undergraduate student government.

The judiciary board will make its recommendations to MSU President M. Peter McPherson.

In Kearney's case, McPherson took the 30-business day maximum to reply.

McPherson said in a statement the MSU Board of Trustees "is the sole source of domestic partner benefits for employees," and added, Kearney's partner was "not a member of the university community."

The Board of Trustees has not placed domestic partner benefits on their agenda.

Trustee Joel Ferguson said the judiciary board "doesn't do a thing," and it comes down to the number of trustees willing to vote in favor of domestic partner benefits. Five out of the eight trustees must be in favor of a policy for it to be implemented.

Ferguson said he supports domestic partner benefits, but the numbers of trustees supporting it are not enough to change anything.

But Trustee David Porteous said procedures are in place for students to address issues. He said it wouldn't be his place to comment before a recommendation is made, but added he didn't know whether this will come before the trustees.

O'Laughlin said she was nervous her case would have the same results as Kearney's.

"That's really disheartening," she said.