Children and higher education: Why not have both?

Groups lobby for student parent resources

By Michael Klein
From the October 2006 Print Edition

"Celebrate life!" Expressed in the context of the controversial issue of abortion, this charged statement might otherwise turn away committed pro-choice advocates. However, it was precisely what brought them together with dozens of pro-life activists last April at the 5th Annual Celebrate Life Conference, sponsored by the California Students for Life.

Being that the conference was held at the UC Berkeley campus, Berkeley Students for Life members hosted and welcomed visitors with the slogan, "Pro-life? Pro-choice? Pro-resource." Unlike the typical pro-life gathering, this one would come to include speakers such as Sally Winn of Feminists for Life, a friendly Common Ground panel of two pro-choice advocates and two pro-life advocates, and Montez Petronelli of the Student Parenting Project, Inc.

Emphasizing resources, not ideological views or political standpoints, the conference meant to offer and promote a wealth of pregnancy resources designed to inform parents of available child-rearing services. One such service, the recently established Student Parenting Project founded and directed by Petronelli, aims to eliminate the heart-wrenching decision parents are being forced to make between raising children and attending institutions of higher education.

Petronelli, a former student parent, graduated from UC Berkeley with a bachelor’s degree in sociology. She continued at Boalt School of Law to receive her Juris Doctorate. What makes Petronelli’s story unique is that she was a parent of 10-week-old daughter Nikobi when she entered into the rigorous curriculum at Boalt. Despite the numerous trials of work, school, and single parenting, Petronelli was able to rear Nikobi with the help of friends she knew.

Now Nikobi is attending high school, and Petronelli has taken up the cause of current and prospective student parents across the nation. Her organization’s mission: "strengthen families by increasing the educational attainment rates of parents." She plans to do this by bringing services, resources, and any information necessary to allow parents to achieve their educational goals while simultaneously rearing a healthy child.

As to the pragmatism of the program’s mission, according to the National Center for Education Statistics as of December 27, first-generation students of postsecondary education are indeed less likely to graduate than those students who have college-educated parents. In fact, 43 percent of first-generation college students left without a degree during the period of time from 1992 to 2000. However, those with college-educated parents had the much lower rate of attrition of 20 percent.

Although some of this discrepancy is attributed to disadvantaged communities making up a significant portion of the first-generation students, there is clear evidence that parents who dropped out do not provide as much incentive for their children to graduate as parents who graduated do.

On November 9, 2005, Representative Melissa Hart of Pennsylvania introduced the Elizabeth Cady Stanton Pregnant and Parenting Student Services Act of 2005 (H.R. 4265). Senator Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina introduced the same bill just two days earlier to the Senate (S. 1966). The act, if passed, would allow institutions of higher education to apply for a grant from the Department of Education to establish a pregnant-and-parenting-student services office. The office would be responsible for assessing the needs of the campus community of student parents, then utilizing the grant to establish programs designed to meet those needs. Such programs would include family housing, child care, provision of pre-natal care referrals, and other related services.

To emphasize the importance of the bill, Hart noted that 27 percent of all undergraduates and 34 percent of all graduate students are parents. "As members of the Student Parenting Project already know, many students who are pregnant or who already have children are finding it increasingly difficult to make ends meet while they are trying to finish their education," she said. The Student Parenting Project fully advocates the bill, which currently remains stalled in House and Senate committees.

At the Celebrate Life conference, Petronelli explained her reasoning behind the establishment of the Student Parenting Project. Among the benefits of providing resources for student parents to attend higher education institutions are increased youth literacy, lower welfare claims, and increased graduation rates for parents. As many as half of undergraduate parents are single and 65 percent of undergraduate parents are women, statistics which aid in targeting the program services to them.

A current issue Petronelli wants to address is the lack of acknowledgment of the student parent community. For instance, Petronelli mentioned a necessary maternity-leave requirement for mothers who need to give birth, diaper-changing facilities in central locations on campus, campus pediatrician services, and child-care facilities as potential remedies to ease strain on student parents.

At UC Berkeley, the Student Parent Association has fulfilled some of the goals of the Student Parenting Project by offering housing, child care, and family activities among other services and resources. However, Petronelli claims that Alice Jordan, director of the Student Parent Center in 100 Cesar Chavez, is not heard by the university administration. "We need to advocate permanent, sufficient funding to a student parenting office," says Petronelli, "and make student dependent insurance available again."

Petronelli’s desire is to allow student parents to have children and a higher education, without deciding between the two. Asked whether this was a pro-life or pro-choice issue, Petronelli said confidently, "At the end of the day, both sides have to provide resources." In other words, this is a human issue, not a political one.

If you enjoyed this article, please consider supporting the Patriot