Have questions? We have answers.
Title IX was extended in 2013. Why hasn’t all this already been addressed?
Title IX lists rights students have but does not clarify how schools should respect these. (Legal experts have argued the Department of Education needs to do this). Therefore, because current legal tenets do not require schools to create actual policies and procedures, universities are not dedicating time, resources, or personnel to this federal mandate and these students.
Universities can choose to remain silent except for when a student conjures up the nerve to ask “What if?” or to say “I am.” They can choose to remain silent until peer pressure and competition concerns compel universities to progress. And, they can choose to remain silent until a lawsuit or formal complaints are filed (such as 2019 complaints against Belmont College Law School in Tennessee and the 2015 case Conley v. Northwest Florida State College). In short, as long as pregnant and parenting students and their allies stay silent, universities stay silent as well.
Title IX lists rights students have but does not clarify how schools should respect these. (Legal experts have argued the Department of Education needs to do this). Therefore, because current legal tenets do not require schools to create actual policies and procedures, universities are not dedicating time, resources, or personnel to this federal mandate and these students.
Universities can choose to remain silent except for when a student conjures up the nerve to ask “What if?” or to say “I am.” They can choose to remain silent until peer pressure and competition concerns compel universities to progress. And, they can choose to remain silent until a lawsuit or formal complaints are filed (such as 2019 complaints against Belmont College Law School in Tennessee and the 2015 case Conley v. Northwest Florida State College). In short, as long as pregnant and parenting students and their allies stay silent, universities stay silent as well.
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For more information on Title IX, the Supreme Court’s support of it, and the history of schools’ lag times see: Elizabeth K. Busch and William E. Thro, Title IX: The Transformation of Sex Discrimination in Education (New York: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, 2018). |
Are we a political group?
No. The individuals working behind the scenes on the Supportive Space Initiative do not identify with a single political party or platform. We have diverse backgrounds, diverse views on politics and religion, and diverse demographics. One of us is even obligated by a federal job to not participate in any partisan activities. We also all have different personal and philosophical reasons why we are involved with this project—a personal experience, an encounter we witnessed, a principle we value. What unites us is our belief that everyone has a right to education, our value of Title IX, and our dedication to the principle of inclusion.
No. The individuals working behind the scenes on the Supportive Space Initiative do not identify with a single political party or platform. We have diverse backgrounds, diverse views on politics and religion, and diverse demographics. One of us is even obligated by a federal job to not participate in any partisan activities. We also all have different personal and philosophical reasons why we are involved with this project—a personal experience, an encounter we witnessed, a principle we value. What unites us is our belief that everyone has a right to education, our value of Title IX, and our dedication to the principle of inclusion.
How did we choose which organizations to list?
There are many supportive organizations for parents and pregnant individuals in the Winston-Salem area. We want to connect readers who wish to maintain their pregnancy and education with places where they can address their own specific needs. We especially try to highlight free or low-cost resources, being mindful of the budget restraints of some college students. As a result of this goal, we list government, secular, and religious organizations that can provide support for pregnant and parenting students. Students can use this information to then make their own informed decisions about where to seek support for their needs while they continue their education. We also try to connect readers with other, larger resource listings like that of Family Services of Forsyth County, the extensive Triad Moms on Main website, and the Forsyth County Department of Social Services, which provide information on many more specific topics related to pregnancy, parenting, and family life.
Prenatal Care: There are many OBGYNs and women’s health clinics in Winston-Salem. We list local organizations that provide prenatal support AND are either free or have been used by other pregnant and parenting students. If you know of one that fits this description, feel free to share it with us.
Basic Needs: These are organizations that we already knew of or were informed of by people working with vulnerable families and pregnant and parenting populations in the Winston-Salem area. We list public organizations, religiously affiliated ones, and secular ones because they all offer support. Individuals looking for support can decide for themselves where to go, we just want to provide options and information that is otherwise hard to find if you're not sure what exists in the first place. If you know of an organization that offers free basic needs--like food, clothing, diapers, and shelter--to pregnant and parenting students please share it with us!
There are many supportive organizations for parents and pregnant individuals in the Winston-Salem area. We want to connect readers who wish to maintain their pregnancy and education with places where they can address their own specific needs. We especially try to highlight free or low-cost resources, being mindful of the budget restraints of some college students. As a result of this goal, we list government, secular, and religious organizations that can provide support for pregnant and parenting students. Students can use this information to then make their own informed decisions about where to seek support for their needs while they continue their education. We also try to connect readers with other, larger resource listings like that of Family Services of Forsyth County, the extensive Triad Moms on Main website, and the Forsyth County Department of Social Services, which provide information on many more specific topics related to pregnancy, parenting, and family life.
Prenatal Care: There are many OBGYNs and women’s health clinics in Winston-Salem. We list local organizations that provide prenatal support AND are either free or have been used by other pregnant and parenting students. If you know of one that fits this description, feel free to share it with us.
Basic Needs: These are organizations that we already knew of or were informed of by people working with vulnerable families and pregnant and parenting populations in the Winston-Salem area. We list public organizations, religiously affiliated ones, and secular ones because they all offer support. Individuals looking for support can decide for themselves where to go, we just want to provide options and information that is otherwise hard to find if you're not sure what exists in the first place. If you know of an organization that offers free basic needs--like food, clothing, diapers, and shelter--to pregnant and parenting students please share it with us!
How can I get involved?
Turning a school into a Supportive Space can start with you, whoever you are and wherever you are, as demonstrated by the “What Can…” FAQs below. These are where we suggest you start. If you would like to do more and become actively involved in the Supportive Space Initiative group of faculty and staff, please email one of the individuals listed on the “Contact” page. We are a group of diverse individuals who all wholeheartedly believe in the principles of inclusion and community support, including of pregnant and parenting students. We welcome anyone who would like to join us in our efforts to make WFU a Supportive Space. |
What can I do as a friend?
Take a handout and keep it somewhere visible. You may think you’ll never need it, but you never know who will be thankful they once saw it in your suite and know that rights and resources exist.
Have conversations with your friends. Support them if they choose to maintain their education and pregnancy. It’s their right.
Be kind. Pregnant and parenting students we spoke with encountered a lot of unkind people, but they also especially remembered and appreciated the kind ones:
Take a handout and keep it somewhere visible. You may think you’ll never need it, but you never know who will be thankful they once saw it in your suite and know that rights and resources exist.
Have conversations with your friends. Support them if they choose to maintain their education and pregnancy. It’s their right.
Be kind. Pregnant and parenting students we spoke with encountered a lot of unkind people, but they also especially remembered and appreciated the kind ones:
- A classmate I hardly knew once left me a flower and note that said “You’ve got this!”
- My fraternity brothers would take turns babysitting my daughter so I could go to class.
- The students I tutored would let me use their meal swipes so I could save money on food.
- Someone that always saw me, tired, before class sometimes had a coke waiting for me.
What can I do as a pregnant & parenting student?
Find a support person. It could be a classmate, a staff member, a professor—someone who will stand up and speak up for you and your rights, help find answers to questions, and make sure you don’t have to go through anything alone. There are many employees (and even some graduate and professional students) who are already familiar with pregnancy and parenting in Winston-Salem. You don’t have to be alone.
*We’re working on establishing permanent and publicly identifiable faculty/staff support liaisons!
Use our resources page and our FAQs brochure to help find the answers and support you need. We've already spoken with many offices to find answers to questions about retaining jobs, scholarships, housing, etc. You can use the information we've provided to help you start those conversations.
Contact the Title IX Office or Supportive Space Initiative leaders if you have questions about your rights, need help getting accommodations, or feel harassed or discriminated against. This Office and Initiative exist to protect all students and especially to help students like you
Find a support person. It could be a classmate, a staff member, a professor—someone who will stand up and speak up for you and your rights, help find answers to questions, and make sure you don’t have to go through anything alone. There are many employees (and even some graduate and professional students) who are already familiar with pregnancy and parenting in Winston-Salem. You don’t have to be alone.
*We’re working on establishing permanent and publicly identifiable faculty/staff support liaisons!
Use our resources page and our FAQs brochure to help find the answers and support you need. We've already spoken with many offices to find answers to questions about retaining jobs, scholarships, housing, etc. You can use the information we've provided to help you start those conversations.
Contact the Title IX Office or Supportive Space Initiative leaders if you have questions about your rights, need help getting accommodations, or feel harassed or discriminated against. This Office and Initiative exist to protect all students and especially to help students like you
What can my school do?
Studies across academic fields show that pregnant and parenting students’ rates of success in college increase and their mental and physical health improves when they receive the following types of support:
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What does the Supportive Space Initiative DO?
The faculty, undergraduate, and graduate students behind the Supportive Space Initiative are contacting, meeting with, and working with administration offices, academic departments, and student organizations, one by one, to help the university do all of the above.
The faculty, undergraduate, and graduate students behind the Supportive Space Initiative are contacting, meeting with, and working with administration offices, academic departments, and student organizations, one by one, to help the university do all of the above.
Have MORE questions?
Email us. We strongly value dialogue and open conversations, and we believe listening is a fundamental component of that.
Email us. We strongly value dialogue and open conversations, and we believe listening is a fundamental component of that.