By: Asia Hill
College is viewed as an institution that commonly helps teenagers transition into adulthood through education and independence. A huge, and often overlooked, part of this transition is pregnancy. Is Lincoln University susceptible to this transition for women who are pregnant or postpartum? A fellow Lincoln lion has come forward to tell her story as a pregnant student and new mother at Lincoln.
A senior at Lincoln University, who wished to remain anonymous, recently gave birth in July of this year. She took online classes beforehand in preparation and planned to finish out her remaining credits during the spring semester of 2025. When attempting to reenroll, she was met with little to no accommodations that would assist with her new life as a mom.
“They have no real resources for moms at all,” she stated. “They don’t have online classes and I can’t commute from Philly. I’m tired of being tired, I just want to graduate.”
Ideally, she would have loved to commute to and from school to acquire her remaining credits to graduate in May. By commuting she would be able to maintain easy access to her son in order to breastfeed and properly adjust to motherhood. But Lincoln does not provide online classes during the fall and spring semesters. She also voiced the difficulty of going to class while she was pregnant.
“Zoom classes should be available for pregnant students on campus, being pregnant and going to class was one of the hardest experiences of my life,” she emphasized.
With the obstacle of not having online classes, she had to choose to live on campus to graduate. But having her own room was not guaranteed to her either. Her housing remains undetermined, but she notified Residence Life of her circumstances and is hoping for the best when the housing portal opens.
“There should be forms available for the mothers that are breastfeeding in order to allow them to have a single room,” she suggested. “It isn’t conducive to have a roommate due to the nature of pumping.”
The campus provides a lactation room in Rm. 106 of Wright Hall during business hours, but Wright Hall also houses the Writing and Reading Center for tutoring, the Math center, and many other rooms that host campus events and are offices for Lincoln’s staff and administration. Is that really a comfortable environment for a breastfeeding mother? Wright Hall is also a walk away from the dormitories students live in, which can cause additional inconveniences.
“As a new mother it is going to be really hard to return to campus without my baby and not being with him every day will undoubtedly be the hardest part of returning to campus,” she stated. “But as a mother the hardest decision you’ll have to make is leaving your child to better both of your lives.”
Pregnancy and fresh motherhood brings many challenges such as depression, physical fatigue, separation anxiety and sickness. With the proper help from the university, women going through these drastic changes can be at ease and finish out their education efficiently.
It appears some change needs to happen at Lincoln. The university needs to better accommodate for new mothers and voice support as they endure life altering changes. What can the campus do to help mothers happily finish out their education to improve the lives of their blossoming family? These women need to be heard.
