Isabelle Frost
The University of Mississippi’s Student Parent Association will host its annual Gathering at the Grove on Saturday, April 6. This event will take place on the Grove Stage and is open to all students and children with food, games, art and more activities.
Sandwiches will be provided, but parents and members of the community can bring sides and desserts.
UMSPA gives students with children access to additional resources and the ability to connect with other student parents. UMSPA can help student parents get groceries, financial aid, housing, childcare and more.
Events like the Gathering at the Grove allow UMSPA to connect with student parents and foster a community on campus.
“That’s part of what the student parent association does, create opportunities for parents and students and their kids and to experience something great on our campus. We’re just looking to make our campus even more family friendly,” Work-Life Resources Coordinator Lynn Wilkins said.
Wilkins talked about the unique struggles that student parents face.
“This is a group of students who are very stressed for time, and so sometimes they’re not always able to come back and make a study group at night. Sometimes it might be easier for them to do something right after class while they’re still on campus,” Wilkins said.
Many student parents have a tight schedule, so setting flexible dates and understanding their position can go a long way.
“It’s important to be aware that a student parent has these kinds of extra pulls and extra demands, and to be generous about it,” Wilkins said. “Acknowledging that and working with their schedule can be just a godsend for a student parent.”
A study done by the National Postsecondary Student Aid showed that more than one in five college students — 22% of all undergraduates — are parents.
“Becoming a parent is something that can happen at any point in an educational journey,” Wilkins said.
In the future, Wilkins hopes that UM will make its physical environment more welcoming to families with additions such as playgrounds and other kid-friendly areas.
“One thing we could do is we could look at the physical environment. The more opportunities for childcare on our campus, the better that we’ll be serving parents, whether they’re employees or students. We could have kid-friendly spaces in some of our public spaces,” Wilkins said.
With the help of UMSPA and the support and kindness of students, UM can be a safe place for student parents and their families.
“My hope is that students can be tolerant of that and be understanding of some of the demands that are above and beyond what a normal student has to what a traditional student has to deal with,” Wilkins said.
