Students work for family friendly MU

The initiative plans to include and inform student-parents.

By Megan Pearl

Published Oct. 30, 2009

Graduate and professional school student organizations at MU are spearheading an effort to create a more family-friendly environment for students with children.

The Graduate Professional Council, Graduate Student Association, Mizzou Families Involved Together and the MU Council on Family Relations are working in conjunction to highlight and reform the many issues and concerns students who are also parents encounter.

MU does not keep a record of how many students, graduate or undergraduate, are married or have children.

In a study by MU graduate student Marilyn Preston, "Student-Parents at the University of Missouri: A Growing Population, A Growing Need," it was asserted higher education students who were also parents were more likely to drop out, but the retention of these students is integral to the diversity on campus.

"Through this student's project it became clear that students felt they were doing it alone, but that there were substantial numbers of students like these," MUCFR representative Claire Cook said. "They're balancing a lot, so we felt it would be a worthwhile effort to help balance the struggle between academic and family life."

The primary concerns facing the organizations are child care, health insurance, information about financial aid and a supportive social network.

"A few surveys that have been conducted on campus revealed that one of the biggest issues is feeling disconnected from the community," MIZFIT representative Nick Gage said. "Many activities happen at night when students would have to find a babysitter."

Apart from nighttime babysitters, day care is also costly and difficult to find. Gage, a single parent of two children, said from his experience, day care costs can be between $1,200 and $1,400 a month. Preston's research found 60 percent of student parents would not have completed their degree without campus day care.

"Graduate students don't earn a lot of money, and it's hard to support families," GPC President Sarah Symonds said. "Making a few changes will also attract more students to MU by advertising as a family friendly campus."

Although the organizations are working together, they have also taken separate initiatives.

"One of the things we did this fall was hold a student parent fair on campus for students who are also parents," Cook said. "The fair put community and university resources together to help students connect with those resources."

The effort to create a strong social network for parents in the university community is a common priority between the organizations.

A goal of MIZFIT is to create a space specifically for students who are parents to go to get homework done on campus — theoretically a place with a few computers and also a play area for young children, Gage said. He also said that would provide a platform for parents to meet each other and find other students in similar situations.

Another campus issue is that of pregnant or new mothers and the lack of close parking and lactation spots on campus and also a lack of information about these resources.

Gage also identified a general ignorance of what financial aid is available for students with children from students and financial aid counselors.

"We're in the initial stages," Symonds said. "This isn't going to happen this academic year, but if we can make one change that will make campus more family friendly, that's a step in the right direction."