Earning an advanced degree is challenging enough, but raising a child at the same time is even more difficult for some graduate and professional students. And although the University can provide mentors and tutors to aid them in their studies, some students say Duke does little to help them in their parenting.
The University does not offer a child care program, nor does it give additional stipends to students with children, said Jackie Looney, associate dean of the Graduate School. However, it does support a website that refers local day care centers.
Looney said she hopes the school will do more in the near future.
"Child care is a big issue for any parent, but graduate students feel it double," Looney said. "Students don't have a large income and are away from their network of family and friends. It is very difficult."
The Graduate and Professional Student Council is helping circulate a survey to gather information on the child care needs of its constituents. Looney said she hopes the survey will be the first step in the establishment of a child care program.
"Once we have a better sense of the demographics--of how many graduate and professional students face this and what their needs are--the picture will come to light of what needs to be done," Looney said. "I do think Duke is in a position to address this issue, but it will take some time."
Looney cited space and costs as possible obstacles that might slow the process. GPSC President Elayne Heisler said she worried liability issues might indefinitely delay the creation of a day care center sponsored by the University.
Heisler also invited graduate and professional students with children to her office today at 5:30 p.m. to provide input for her write-up of child care suggestions. Based on the surveys she read, Heisler said she worried that because the University does not offer child care facilities, students with children often choose schools that do, such as Stanford University, or that their study time suffers because they cannot afford enough hours of child care.
Anne Elmore, a mother of three and a first-year Divinity student, said she knows people who have not gone back to school because it was not feasible without more support.
"Sometimes we think there are not a lot of graduate students who this issue affects because we do not see a lot of people here with children," Elmore said. "It is a self-selection process, though--many people with children simply decide not to come because it is not logistically possible without the University helping more."
Elmore said that being able to provide child care for her children was a major determinant in what school she chose and whether she could go back to school at all. Although the University does not offer or subsidize child care, she said the financial aid package it offered--along with her husband's salary--allow her to fill her roles as student and mother and to afford $225 per week in child care costs.
"Duke has been very generous with my financial aid package, but it would be nice to have a day care center they provided on campus," Elmore said. "I was very surprised that Duke did not always provide that because it is such a leader in other fields."
Liz Perry, a law student, president of Parents Attending Law School and a mother of two, said that although she sees room for improvement, she thinks the University has been very accommodating. She cited the four semesters she has been able to take off from law school to have and care for her 10-month-old and 3-year-old because the School of Law only requires that students complete the program within five calendar years.
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