UIC CoE-MCH Advocating for Parenting Student Support
Introduction
Students and faculty involved with the UIC Center of Excellence in Maternal and Child Health have been advocating for more support for parenting students on campus, and their hard work has been paying off. A new family-friendly study room has been designed and is opening in the Library of Health Sciences later this month. Veronica Castillo L.M., MCH MPH '25, has a 7-year-old daughter and is looking forward to using the space and building a sense of community. Veronica was also featured as a panelist on the March 20th parent-student symposium, developed by the Women’s Leadership and Resource Center and co-sponsored and coordinated by the CoE-MCH, “From Surviving to Thriving: Cultivating Possibility for Parenting Students in Illinois.” Additionally, CoE-MCH faculty member Dr. Jessica Rothstein is also working to support parenting students on campus, and is currently conducting research to define the resources and any accessibility gaps that might exist for the lactation rooms on campus. Dr. Rothstein served as the moderator for the parent-student symposium panel "Visions for the Future," where her and Veronica Castillo discussed how universities can create thriving environment for parenting students and advocated for a vision of fostering equitable campus communities.
To learn more about the spaces and communities on campus that are supporting parenting students, and about the “From Surviving to Thriving: Cultivating Possibility for Parenting Students in Illinois” symposium, please read the full article on UIC Today here: https://today.uic.edu/uic-parent-students-will-soon-get-a-study-place-of-their-own/.
Article Photos
Students, faculty and staff with children can take advantage of a new study room that will open in late-March on west campus. (Photo: UIC/Jenny Fontaine)