<< Front page News April 23, 2004

OPLUS, SURF hold forum

Pregnancy Forum: Advocates counselors and administrators discussed pregnant women’s options.
 

While Oberlin students can attest to the fact that sexual activity and pregnancy occur on campus, most have never seen a visibly pregnant or parenting student attending class or eating at DeCafe.

“People tend to get pregnant after they are here,” Sue Angell, OC ’99, said. “I don’t think pregnant or parenting people choose to come here at age eighteen.”

Oberlin is not a college that typically attracts parents seeking education and students who become pregnant at Oberlin often leave school before graduating. However, some people are of the opinion that this needs to change. Pregnancy Resources Forum was held Wednesday to address the issue of how to make Oberlin a more parent-friendly campus.

SURF and OPLUS, organizations with opposing views on abortion rights, collaborated to organize the forum. Sally Winn, a member of Democrats for Life and an advocate for pregnant students, claimed that one-tenth of college women will become pregnant this year.

“Women should not feel that they have to drop out or be discouraged from going to college,” Winn said.

“When a pregnant woman is in college, it can become an overwhelming task,” she added. “This is something that is happening on all campuses everywhere.”

The College has many basic resources available to pregnant or parenting students. Pregnancy tests are free and confidential at the Sexual Information Center and Family Planning Services.

“Our student health insurance policy covers pregnancy services,” Student Health Services Director Laura Hieronymus said.

Although Oberlin does not have a set policy to subsidize off-campus housing for pregnant or parenting students, off-campus housing accommodations can be made with Residential Life and Dining Services. Oberlin Early Childhood Center and Kendal at Oberlin offer day care services for infants and toddlers. However, the long wait lists lead advocates to believe that more day care options are needed, like a cooperative day care organization on campus.

Julie Candela, Director of the Single Parents Reaching Out for Unassisted Tomorrows organization at Baldwin-Wallace College, attended the forum to advocate for a similar organization at Oberlin. SPROUT is a residential program for single- parent college students and their children. The organization primarily offers housing to women ages 18 to 23 and works with the Financial Aid Office of Baldwin-Wallace to help meet the financial needs of the single parent.

It is questionable whether or not Oberlin can or will start an organization such as SPROUT in the near future.

“It depends on institutional will to create a program; you’d have to start a program very small,” Candela said.

Because roughly three to five students are parenting on campus per year, an organization like SPROUT would have to start as a small residence. Winn suggested creating a website or booklet to educate the student body about resources available for parents.

Brenda Grier-Miller of Student Academic Services, Kim LaFond of Residential Life and Dining Services, Diane Britt of the Counseling Center, Protestant chaplain Fred Lasson and Director of Financial Aid Rob Reddy Jr. were also available to answer questions
at the forum.


 
 
   

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