Spring Break
SJSU moms
seek changes
Parental organization
took case to Caret
Anne Ward, Daily Staff Writer
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Mothers on a Mission met with President Robert Caret Wednesday in a "Study Break" to discuss their concerns as parents. They addressed issues specific to SJSU mothers and fathers and looked to Caret for help.
The study break meeting was coordinated through student interns working in Caret's office, designed to get organizations such as M.O.M. in touch with the President's office so their issues can be heard.
"We like these to be informal discussions," Caret said.
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M.O.M. was organized by sophomore Jasmon Jackson, a business marketing major, and junior Courtney Stansberry, a sociology major, in Spring 2001. Jackson said she came up with the idea - an organization made up of parents who would work to try to make life easier at SJSU - in her sleep one night.
"I had a dream," Jackson said. "I know it sounds like Martin Luther King Jr., but really, I did have a dream about it."
The organization has 32 members, including five fathers.
"We're open to everyone," Jackson said. "We're here to support parents, and we mainly want to deal with issues on campus."
Parking is an issue some students would say applies to all of them, but M.O.M. described a situation unique to them.
"There are times when we have to park on one of the top floors of the Seventh or Fourth Street garages, and as you know there are no elevators or ramps," Jackson said. "Well, not only do we have to get ourselves down the stairs, but we are carrying our babies, a stroller, a diaper bag and a backpack."
M.O.M. came prepared with suggestions to alleviate their obstacles.
"We realize you can't just throw up an elevator," Jackson said. "But if we could have designated parking spots on lower floors, it would be a huge help."
"We try to be receptive to needs. That's why we created the special parking for the day care center," Abeyta said. "This one has never come up. I don't know if we can create special parking for this, but we will take a look at it."
M.O.M. is being mentored by Women's Chamber of Commerce, a local women's group which attended the meeting in support of their goals.
The WCC chaplain, the Rev. Aurea Luis Carnes, also offered a suggestion for M.O.M.'s parking woes.
"We understand that parking is expensive here, and maybe a solution to that would be to offer M.O.M. discounts at the various garages," Carnes said.
Abeyta said that was not an option at this point.
"If we started giving discounts for one group, there would be no end to it," Abeyta said. "We'd have to give discounts to every group."
Concerns of M.O.M. reach out to women who are pregnant as well. One former student, Romielle Aquino-Fan, who graduated with a bachelor's degree in philosophy and religious studies, said when she was pregnant she experienced swollen feet, making it difficult to traverse stairs in the parking garages. She said she sought help from the Disability Resource Center in obtaining a temporary permit for handicapped parking.
"When I finally found the right people to talk to about getting a handicapped permit, I was told I had to come back with a doctor's note," Aquino-Fan said. "I went in to my doctor's office begging for a note. I got the note and the permit, but when I got to campus, there was no parking. It's not like we're trying to get better parking spots."
Abeyta said UPD is working with a consultant to analyze the parking needs and the impact on the neighborhood and students. He also asked for a volunteer from M.O.M. to be a contact person and work with a representative from his office on solving the group's problems.
"The person who will be working on this for me is Marianne Alvarez, the captain of the UPD, and she will be a kindred spirit for you," Abeyta said. "She just had a baby six weeks ago."
Another issue key to the group is a lack of diaper-changing tables and breast-feeding locations. The group wants to increase the number of restrooms that have tables and improve the safety of the tables.
Tony Valenzuela, associate vice president of Facilities Development and Operations, said plans are already in the works to increase the number of diaper-changing tables in both women's and men's restrooms.
Jackson said it is difficult to find an appropriate location on campus to breast-feed.
Carnes suggested any corner where privacy can be created would be better than no place at all.
"Some women need to pump their breasts, and there just is no place to do that," she said. "People have said, 'Well, just use the bathroom.' But you can't do that. It's just not comfortable plus some women use electronic pumps, and the bathrooms don't have outlets."
"What you are asking for is fairly simple," Caret said. "I'll look into it."
Stansberry, co-founder and vice president of M.O.M., asked Caret about family housing.
Caret outlined plans for Campus Village, scheduled to break ground in January 2003. He said plans for the new housing units are all apartments and would appeal to family living. The first phase of Campus Village is expected to be complete in two years and will provide about 2,200 beds. When the entire village is complete, it will hold about 6,600 beds and be priced at about 80 percent of market value, he said.
"We think that will help - it will provide a lot more availability," he said.
M.O.M. approached Associated Students for funding assistance for their organization and playdate program, but it was turned down, Jackson said.
"A.S., they're here to support students, but we have different needs than some organizations," Jackson said. "They said they only fund events, and they said that playdates weren't an event. How can A.S. fund us in the way that we need?"
