The Society of Graduate and Professional Students (SGPS) will establish a breastfeeding room on campus in response to demand for student-parent resources.
Lorne Beswick, SGPS VP campaigns and community affairs, says he realized there was a need for more resources for student parents on campus after he was re-elected last spring.
“Childcare is frightfully expensive and the workday can really drive unfortunate divides into the relationship between students and their children,” Beswick told The Journal via email.
In his latest report to SGPS council this past Sept. 15, Beswick reported that his efforts to establish a new breastfeeding room — which will double as a quiet room — had moved faster than expected.
Beswick said the centre should be ready by mid-October. It’ll be furnished with couches and comfortable seats for parents and guardians, as well as toys and other objects of play for children.
Although a similar service is available at the Ban Righ Centre, the new facility will be accessible to everyone, as Ban Righ only caters to women, according to Beswick.
“I wanted to expand the service around campus more generally,” he said.
The student society plans to establish the facility in an old SGPS office — Office 203 in the John Deutsch University Centre. It will have a sink, cleaning facilities and will be located near a washroom.
However, Beswick said SGPS still has to work out minor details about the project.
“At this point, we haven’t fully worked out the labour involved in the treatment of soiled diapers, but have purchased a Diaper Genie to contain any unpleasantness,” he added.
The centre won’t be the only place on campus devoted to helping student parents.
This September, the Queen’s Day Care Centre opened a new daycare location at the An Clachan complex on Van Order Dr. The new location will begin accepting preschoolers in fall 2016.
A number of other resources on campus also offer child-friendly services, including the Four Directions Aboriginal Student Centre, The Queen’s University International Centre and the Ban Righ Centre.
Tags
breastfeeding, Childcare, grad students, SGPS, student parents
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