2008 Woodie Awards
Diapers and a diploma
MSU student parents have to balance the demands of education with the demands of a child
by Nicole Smith
Issue date: 8/28/08
Section: Campus News
|
For student parents, children and parenting responsibilities are priorities thrown in the mix of this hectic college life. As the semester begins, Minnesota State student parents pack their schedules with parenting duties and school responsibilities and search for help and resources. Some student parents say the campus should have more resources and help available for them.
Twenty years ago, MSU junior Rishley Cain sat through college classes with her mom. Now Cain is a student parent at MSU herself and occasionally brings her 17-month-old son on campus. She is constantly juggling her parenting responsibilities with her education.
"When a regular college student doesn't have a child, they are just having free time when they aren't in class, doing homework or at work," said Emily Dolentz, ethnic and women's studies junior and mother of a four-year-old daughter. "But that's not what we're doing. We're trying to have quality time with our child, all the while thinking about that five-page essay we have due tomorrow."
"It's hard to give your 100 percent to everything," she added.
As a parent, it can be difficult to allot time and money for pursuing an education. Those who choose that route have the crucial task of finding a daycare or someone to care for their child during classes.
The Children's House is a non-profit child-care center on campus, located in Weicking Center. It is open from 7:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. every day to facilitate student parents. For some, this resource has proven very valuable.
MSU junior nursing major Kayla Whitaker has a two-year-old son who attends The Children's House. She found out about the daycare through word of mouth.
"I was on the waiting list for 9 to 10 months and then he got in when he was 2.5 months old," Whitaker said. Whitaker is pregnant with her second child and due in October. Her husband Derek is also an MSU student.
The Whitakers also work at The Children's House through work study.
"It's very nice to have that opportunity," Kayla said.
The high-demand and expense of the on campus daycare, however, can make it a difficult or impossible option for some student parents.
Cain's son was also on the waiting list for a long period of time.
"We waited all that time and they said they had an opening for him in September," Cain said. "But then he will be 18 months and would be in a different room of The Children's House."
Her son is now on a different waiting list for the center.
For Cain, waiting on The Children's House means continuing to get childcare help from family.
Night classes often have to be eliminated from these students' options because of the difficulty of finding childcare in the evening.
Donna McGhee-Weaver, a senior women's studies major, doesn't have an issue with daycare because her three sons, ages 10, 12 and 17, attend public school. However, she said she wouldn't mind having a before and after school program available on campus.
She explained that each month, all of the Mankato public schools have a two-hour late start day. When McGhee-Weaver first moved here, she was unaware of this and had scheduled morning classes.
"If I had a presentation or exam, they couldn't attend school because I couldn't afford to miss class," she said.
Attending and concentrating in class can be difficult, even for student parents with childcare.
"When you have an exam to take and your kid is sick, all you want to do is stay at home and take care of your baby, but you have to go to school because you already used your excused absences," Dolentz said. "You have to send your child to daycare sick. So you sit in class and try to concentrate, but all you can think about is the health of your child."
Dolentz admits that while she chose to engage in the balancing act, that doesn't make it any easier.
"I know that's the choice I made when I decided to go back to school as a parent, but it's still difficult," Dolentz said. "We have difficult problems the average student doesn't have."
Housing, managing finances and being connected to resources are also areas of concern for MSU student parents.
When several of the women came to Mankato, they were faced with little direction toward affordable family housing and had a hard time finding a suitable place to live. In addition, they are often faced with difficult decisions to make between school and their families
McGhee-Weaver gave an example of balancing demands of family and academics. "I know I've got this much money," she said. "Do I buy my textbooks and get my parking permit, or do I get school supplies and one pair of brand new shoes for the boys so they aren't embarrassed when they get to school the first day? It's very hard."
The main concern for many student mothers is the need for on campus help and resources.
Dolentz attended South Central College in Mankato for two years then moved to Minneapolis last year and attended the University of Minnesota. The U of M offers a student parent help center and a variety of resources for parents attending school, Dolentz said.
Dolentz returned to Mankato due to the high cost of living in Minneapolis, but was disappointed to leave all the resources the U of M had.
Aside from The Children's House, MSU has little hands-on help or resources for student parents. Cain, McGhee-Weaver, Dolentz and Whitaker were all directed to the Non-Traditional Student Center after inquiring about available support but found minimal help there.
Cain and Dolentz pointed out that being a non-traditional student is a blanket term for various types of students including veterans, older students and commuters. McGhee-Weaver said although the office offers services such as regular support groups and monetary support in the form of financial aid and scholarships, these aren't specifically for student parents.
Social support and information are also available at the Women's Center on campus, but without a student-parenting center or a place for them to go for help, it is hard to find an outlet to address their specific needs.
For example, Cain explained that as a student parent, she does not qualify to loan a laptop. If she brings her son to the library or resource center on campus, she is politely asked to leave because of the disruptive nature of children.
"We need a space and somewhere to physically go that will help us," Cain said of the demand for a parenting center.
The lack of statistics regarding the number of student parents could contribute to the university's lack of recognizing this group. McGhee-Weaver is determined to gather more specific information about this population through statistics.
"There is no excuse for MSU not keeping information about student parents on campus," she said.
MSU does not directly ask students if they are parents, but it has access to financial aid forms where students have claimed dependants.
Having tangible statistics about this population could also eliminate the sense of isolation many college parents have.
"I remember I went to one class and there were seven student parents in that class alone. We were so excited to see each other," McGhee-Weaver said.
"I'm glad we're bringing the issues out but I also don't want people to think we are complaining," Whitaker said. "We chose to be moms, but we also chose to further our education."
Nicole Smith is a Reporter staff writer
Be the first to comment on this story