CSUN Pregnant and Parenting Student Rights and Resources

Ruth Jones

• Office of Equity and Diversity
• University Hall 285
• Phone:  (818) 677-2077 or http://www.csun.edu/eqd/
• Hours:  Monday – Friday,  8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your particular situation, please feel free to call.

You have rights as a pregnant and/or parenting college student!

For more information visit: https://thepregnantscholar.org/title-ix-basics/

Pregnant and Parenting Students’ Bill of Rights 

1. You have the right to be treated with dignity and respect.
2. You have the right to be free from discrimination. No one can kick you out of school because you are pregnant or a parent.
3. Your school must excuse absences due to pregnancy or childbirth for as long as your doctor says it is necessary. All your teachers are required to give you a reasonable amount of time, after the conclusion of those absences, to make up the work you missed.
4. Separate programs or schools for students who are pregnant or parents must be completely voluntary. You cannot be forced to attend a separate school.
5. You have the right to the same opportunities as other students. If you attend a separate program, the classes and the activities offered must be equal to those at a mainstream school.
6. Special services that are provided for temporarily disabled students must also be provided for pregnant students. If temporarily disabled students get at-home tutoring to help them keep up with work, so should students who miss school because of pregnancy or childbirth.
7. Pregnant and parenting students do not have to turn in a doctor’s note to continue going to school or to participate in activities unless all students with medical conditions are required to do so.
8. You have the right to be free of harassment and bullying. This includes sexual harassment, like being called a “slut” or having sexual rumors spread about you at school.
9. You have a right to privacy. Teachers and other school officials do not have the right to disclose your pregnancy to anyone without your permission.
10. You have the right to be free of retaliation. If you complain to school officials or your Title IX coordinator, teachers and administrators cannon retaliate or punish you for speaking out. 

Adapted from The National Women’s Law Center

www.nwlc.org/pregnancytestforschools

There are a variety of reasons health choices are different for pregnant and parenting students. The resources listed address the new and changing health choices pregnant and parenting students face.

• CSUN’s KLOTZ Health Center: https://www.csun.edu/shc

• The KLOTZ center is available to students to confirm pregnancy and provide informational counseling services. Medical professionals will explain your options and support your choice to continue a pregnancy or terminate.

• Planned Parenthood: https://www.plannedparenthood.org/

• Plan B vending machine PLUG!

• Medi-Cal for Families: https://www.coveredca.com/medi-cal/families/

• Counseling services: https://www.csun.edu/counseling

• Lactation accommodations: https://www.csun.edu/eqd/pregnant-parenting-and-lactating

• Local services:

• child and family guidance center- https://www.childguidance.org/

   

Parenting student financial aid packages will differ from those of traditional undergraduate, or graduate studies, student packages. Students with dependents should update their financial aid information with both the CSUN financial aid office as well as FAFSA.

• Financial aid: https://www.csun.edu/financialaid
• Fafsa: https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/fafsa/filling-out/dependency
• Scholarship resources: (Please do your due diligence as these are subject to change)
• American Association of University Women
• AAUW provides fellowships, grants, awards, and scholarships to women who are preparing to advance their careers, change careers, or re-enter the workforce.
•  American Legion Non-Traditional Student Scholarship
• Applicants must be a member of the American Legion, and a non-traditional student (who is either starting their education later in life or returning to finish their formal education which was interrupted for several years).
• Adult Students in Scholastic Transition Scholarship (ASIST):
• 13 scholarships ranging from $2k to $10k. Applicants may be single parents, individuals just entering the workforce or displaced workers
• Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship:
• This scholarship honors Anita Borg, who revolutionized the way people think about technology and dismantled barriers that kept women and minorities from exploring computing and technology fields of study.
• The Educational Foundation for Women in Accounting: 
• Scholarships are awarded to women who are pursuing accounting degrees at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
• Kazimour Scholarship:
• two scholarships available at $500 annually, awarded by Association of Nontraditional Students in Higher Education (ANTSHE)
• Linda Lael Miller Scholarships:
• New York Times Bestselling author Linda Lael Miller gives scholarships to women to improve their lives through education.
• The Patsy Takemoto Mink Education Foundation:
• for low-income women with minor children. The Foundation regularly offers five Education Support Awards of up to $5000 each to assist low-income women with children who are pursuing education or training. Awardees will be selected based on 1) financial need; 2) personal circumstance; 3) educational path; 4) vocational or occupational goals; and 5) service or activist or civic goals.

http://www.patsyminkfoundation.org//edsupport.html

• Possible Woman Foundation International Scholarship
• The purpose of the PWFI scholarship is to give women a second chance to get the education they need to return to school and the workforce. It’s intended for women and/or single or stay-at-home moms who are returning to school after an extended period of time, changing careers, seeking advancement in their current careers
• Jeannette Rankin Foundation Scholarship
• In honor of Jeannette Rankin, the first woman to be elected into the United State Congress, the Jeannette Rankin Foundation Scholarship is for low-income women to help them succeed with their technical or vocational education.
• The Women's Opportunity Awards
• program is Soroptimist's major women's education project. Through the program, clubs in 19 countries and territories assist women who provide the primary source of financial support for their families by giving them the resources they need to improve their education, skills, and employment prospects http://www.soroptimist.org/awards/awards.html
• Talbots Women’s Scholarship Fund
• Sponsored by the Talbots Charitable Foundation, this scholarship is given to women who are going back to school to earn their college degree.
• WISP’s goal is to help formerly battered women obtain an education that will offer them the chance to attain stable employment, personal independence, and self-sufficiency. The scholarship is intended to help single mothers with young children who are struggling financially with childcare and education costs.
• MataCare Emergency Grant
• An emergency grant designed for students with urgent financial needs. For more information visit: https://www.csun.edu/financialaid/matacare-emergency-grant

• CSUN University Village Apartments: A unique section of student housing designed for students raising families. For more information visit:  https://csun.edu/housing/family-housing
• For emergency shelter options, please call or walk into the WRRC for more info.

• CSUN Lab School: https://www.csun.edu/Child-and-Family-Studies-Center
• CSUN’s Children Center: https://www.csun.edu/as/childrens-center
• Child Care Resource Center: https://www.ccrcca.org/

• LAUSD School Search: https://schooldirectory.lausd.net/schooldirectory/
• Private Schools
• http://www.parentseducationleague.org/
• Charter school links
• Los Angeles County Office of Education Charter School Directory: https://publicschoolsdirectory.lacoe.edu/CharterSchool
• After School Program
• LA Best: https://lasbest.org/
• Boys and Girls Club:https://www.bgca.org/
• Beyond the Bell: https://btb.lausd.net/
• YMCA Los Angeles: http://www.ymcala.org/
• Winter and Summer Programs
• LA Best
• CSUN Sunny Days camp
• YMCA camps

Pregnant and Parenting students face challenges unique to their experience. Below are services available on campus to students to help support their success.

• CSUN Student Legal Support Clinic: https://www.csun.edu/as/student-legal-support-clinic
• Career Services: https://www.csun.edu/career

• The WRRC provides pantry basics as well as toiletries!
• Other resources:
• CSUN Food Resources/CalFresh : https://www.csun.edu/as/housing-instability-project/food-resources
• WIC on campus: https://www.csun.edu/marilyn-magaram-center/wic-csun