Celebrating Student Parent Month: Common App members making a difference

Did you know 1 in 5 college students are pregnant or parenting in the United States? The majority of this often overlooked population are older students (median age is 32) with preschool-aged children.  They are more likely to be students of color and identify “female” as their legal sex. The majority of mothers in college are also single parents (62 percent), while the majority of fathers are married (61 percent) (IWPR, 2019).  

Financially, pursuing college while parenting can be challenging. “Single parents constitute the majority of parenting students, and they are often at a distinct disadvantage. They are alone, yet endure both financial and time poverty and are challenged to make ends meet while also going to school.” (The Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice, 2020) In addition to the high cost of college, student parents must add childcare (for those who can find it) and other non-tuition related costs. As a result, college debt for student parents tends to be much higher than non parenting students. 

Common App has committed to closing our applicant pool equity gap by 2030. Our Next Chapter sets a moonshot to serve more than 650,000 additional students from low- and middle-income households. Increased support for student parents is an important part of achieving this goal. The statistics seem daunting, but more Common App members are recognizing barriers for student parents and are working to respond.  

One major barrier to college for many parenting students is access to affordable childcare. To address this, the Department of Education offers a program called Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS). CCAMPIS grants are used by colleges to provide services like campus-based child care for low-income students, before and after-school services, and child care subsidies. Over 40 four-year Common App members were awarded CCAMPIS grants in 2022. 

Another organization striving to help is Generation Hope, which awarded its FamilyU Seal to its first group of colleges in 2023. The FamilyU Seal is a national certification for higher education institutions making significant strides in intentionally serving parenting students. Six Common App members received the inaugural FamilyUSeal for making a difference for student parents: 

• George Mason University, Virginia
• Misericordia University, Pennsylvania
• Mount Mary University, Wisconsin
• Oregon State University, Oregon
• St. Catherine University, Minnesota 
• Trinity Washington  University, Washington, DC

In 2022, the U.S. Senate passed a resolution declaring September National Student Parent Month. In honor of Student Parent Month, I reached out to Dr. Joisanne Rodgers, Director of Contemporary Student Services at George Mason University, Common App member FamilyU Seal awardee, to learn more about how GMU is serving student parents:

Batanya: Before we start, can you give us a quick overview of George Mason University?

Dr. Rodgers: As a public, comprehensive, research university established by the Commonwealth of Virginia, George Mason University (Mason) aims to provide access to excellence. Our goal is to provide opportunities for those who seek a quality education in a manner positioning them for excellence in life. We strive to remain affordable and accessible to anyone, including student parents and caregivers, who want a quality education. Mason is Virginia’s largest public research university and is recognized as the most diverse and accessible. We are committed to inclusivity over exclusivity; advancing by taking not avoiding risks; no problem being unsolvable, and the best work being made possible when applying diversity of origin, identity, circumstance, and thought. We believe talent is equally distributed among people, but opportunity is not. At Mason, education is opportunity’s great equalizer, and we see this with our student parents and caregivers. 

Batanya: Why is it important for GMU to support student parents?

Dr. Rodgers: It’s important for George Mason University (Mason) to support student parents because we take our position as the largest and most diverse public research university in the Commonwealth of Virginia seriously. We believe that higher education is a leading factor in changing lives and communities for the better. We want to be a university that serves our whole community locally, nationally, and on a global scale. To do this, we must account for all of our students and that includes student parents and caregivers.

Student parents and caregivers should not struggle to get a foot in the door and merely survive their educational journey. Mason is a university that can provide an elite experience for anyone who seeks it. We want student parents to arrive and thrive as part of the Mason community. While many universities achieve success by being selective, we succeed by being inclusive. We admit like an open university, graduate like an elite university, and research like a flagship university. We want our student parents and caregivers to have Patriot Pride and share their educational journey with their children and families. 
 

Batanya: How do you define “student-parents”?

Dr. Rodgers: Student parents are often defined as students who are pregnant or parenting or students with dependents. The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights and federal Title IX law use the “pregnant and parenting students” language as their definition. In our work at Mason, we also include those students preparing to adopt and those with childcare-giving responsibilities. 

Batanya: What challenges do student parents face when seeking higher education?

Dr. Rodgers: When seeking higher education, student parents and caregivers add another complex system to navigate an already busy, complex life. Student parents and caregivers are often experiencing time poverty, increased cognitive and mental load, and increased emotional labor before even stepping foot (digitally or physically) onto our campuses. One of our student parents, Valeria, wisely pointed out that “they say it takes a village, but not everyone has one.” She brilliantly encapsulated such an invaluable truth for student parents and caregivers. This truth and her words have become a central tenet of our student parent and caregiver work.

Challenges student parents and caregivers face when seeking higher education of any kind could include lack of access to affordable quality childcare, campus housing requirements, financial barriers, the hidden curriculum of how to navigate the higher education system, and feeling they don’t belong on campus or in the classroom. 

Batanya: What should student parents look for when choosing a college?

Dr. Rodgers: What student parents and caregivers should look for when planning their educational journey can be as varied as they are. However, some common themes we discuss and questions we encourage them to ask are: 

• How does the institution provide or support accessing affordable quality childcare? 
• Is there a culture of inclusivity and equity for student parents and caregivers at the institution? 
• Do I see myself, my child(ren), and my family/village represented and welcomed at the institution? 
• What are the overall costs and timelines? What contributes to those? 
• In what ways are academic advising and success coaching available and accessible to me? 
• What kind of flexibility in class schedules and student service hours and modality is offered? 

Additionally, a newly established beacon for student parents is Generation Hope’s FamilyU Seal. The FamilyU Seal is “a national certification for higher education institutions making significant strides in intentionally serving parenting students” (Generation Hope, 2023). 

Batanya: What is GMU doing to support student parents seeking higher education?

Dr. Rodgers: Mason supports student parents and caregivers seeking higher education in a number of ways. We were honored when Generation Hope recognized this work by awarding George Mason University the FamilyU Seal. This national certification recognizes the important work that we do every day to help student parents pursue their education, access economic mobility, and thrive. Across the country, more than 1 in 5 college students are parenting while pursuing postsecondary credentials. In Virginia, it’s 1 in 4. At Mason, we are proud to invest in these students’ success, ensuring their families are welcomed, valued, and supported. Through the FamilyU Seal, we will attract more students and supporters for this vital work.

A few highlights of how Mason supports student parents and caregivers include peer mentoring and community spaces hosted by our Contemporary Student Mentors and Ambassadors in our Contemporary Student Services (CSS) unit. These student staff members offer peer-to-peer support and programs utilizing a 2-generation approach. We have an awesome Kid’s Corner in our Contemporary Student Lounge that provides age-appropriate books, games, and other activities for kids while student parents or caregivers attend programs, socialize, or study. Additionally, we follow the promising practice of ensuring our programs are planned and shared ahead of time so student parents and caregivers have plenty of time to plan for childcare or to bring their child(ren) and family to campus with them. For example, for our monthly community spaces, the schedule for the entire semester is established and shared before each semester begins.

Our Contemporary Student Services (CSS) unit advocates, celebrates, educates, and serves Mason’s contemporary populations, including student parents and caregivers. The unit supports student parents and caregivers by working with colleagues across the Mason community. Campaigns to establish marketing and communications that normalize the presence of student parents and caregivers on campus and in the classroom. The CSS staff conducts workshops for staff and faculty to support the inclusion of student parents and caregivers in their mission and program planning. CSS and student parent and caregiver champions from across Mason regularly collaborate to conduct qualitative and quantitative research on the student parent experience to better provide the services they actually need and want. 

Batanya: What other resources exist to help parenting students access, afford, and attain a college degree?

Dr. Rodgers: There are two paths when discussing resources to help student parents and caregivers access, afford, and attain a college degree—the institutional lens and the student lens. There are amazing organizations nationally, regionally, and locally doing vital student parent and caregiver work on each and oftentimes both fronts. At Mason, Contemporary Student Services serves as a central hub for student parent and caregiver support and resources. The staff collaborates with colleagues across the university and in the community to support student parents and caregivers in finding resources, building their village, and establishing belonging on campus. Additionally, Mason has partnered with several national organizations, most notably Generation Hope and Ascend at The Aspen Institute. The Pregnant Scholar offers excellent resources, particularly around Title IX, for students as well as faculty and administrators. These are just the beginning of a growing foundation and support network of resources, champions, and villagers for student parents and caregivers, as well as institutions willing to get in the work of student parent and caregiver success. 

Dr. Joisanne Rodgers (she, her) is a first-generation college student, a post-traditional student, a lifelong learner, and an educator passionate about post-traditional and contemporary students. Dr. Rodgers has worked in higher education for nearly 20 years in various roles, including admissions and recruitment, advising and success coaching, housing and residence life, marketing and outreach, retention initiatives, and student success initiatives. As Director of Contemporary Student Services, Dr. Rodgers leads a fantastic team of advocates and champions serving Mason’s contemporary student population. The team collaborates and partners throughout the Mason community to support contemporary student belonging, thriving, and success.

Dr. Rodgers earned a bachelor’s in political science and dance studies from Allegheny College, a master’s in student affairs in higher education from Western Kentucky University, a specialist’s in leadership from American College of Education, and a doctorate in leadership with a focus in higher education from American College of Education. Her research interests include post-traditional and contemporary students, mitigation and elimination of institutional barriers, and student success and retention.

Batanya Gipson (she/her) is the Director, Community College and Transfer Student Engagement for the Common Application. Batanya has over 15 years of experience working with academic, workforce, and continuing education students at the community college and baccalaureate levels. She is focused on promoting access and equity for community college and transfer students and is dedicated to helping identify and develop pathways for all students through higher education.