Title IX and the Protection of Pregnant and Parenting College Students : Realities and Challenges

This book explores the discrepancies among what protections Title IX provides to pregnant and parenting students, what colleges communicate, and what pregnant and parenting students actually experience. To actually protect pregnant and parenting students, the authors argue that a school must provide multifaceted support that is effectively communicated to an entire campus community, including students who are parenting, who are pregnant, and who may become pregnant. The first part of the book portrays the realities of pregnancy and parenting in college. The chapters illuminate related Title IX applications, population demographics, how unplanned pregnancies in college occur, and physical and mental health challenges that these students often experience. The authors then discuss what compliance with Title IX legally entails and why meeting it is often an afterthought. In the second half of the book, the authors use mixed-methods research to map the compliance landscapes of three schools in the southeast as examples: a large state school, a mid-size private university, and a small private college. Offering eye-opening interviews with pregnant and parenting students, interdisciplinary research, and proposals for multifaceted support and communication on college campuses, this volume will engage students, scholars, and activists with an interest in higher education administration, educational policy, reproductive health, bioethics, gender studies, and rhetoric. Cover Half Title Series Page Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Epigraph Brief Contents Table of Contents List of Illustrations Acknowledgments Part 1: Context: The Realities of Pregnancy and Parenting in College Chapter 1: Introduction to Title IX as It Relates to Pregnancy The Evolution of Title IX Preceding Laws Title IX Beginnings and Passage Title IX Compliance and Enforcement Hierarchy of Law Regulations Case Law Precedents Where Does Pregnancy and Parenting Factor In? Legislative History Regulations Guidance Review of Pregnancy and Parenting Case Law High School and National Honor Society Undergraduate Student Cases Pregnancy Accommodation Cases Analysis of Accommodation Cases Department of Education Office of Civil Rights Settlements Undergraduate Athletics and Pregnancy Graduate Student Cases Admission Academic Requirements Denial of Leave Evaluating How Schools Respond to Title IX Preview of Chapters Notes Chapter 2: “Pregnant Students? We Don’t Have Those Here”: Seeing the Pregnant and Parenting Student Population Why Pregnant and Parenting Students Are Unseen and Unheard The Presence of Pregnant Students The Presence of Parenting Students and Their Children In College Classrooms and Offices In Campus Childcare Centers On-campus Housing Summary Notes Chapter 3: “How Could This Happen?”: Identifying Students’ Knowledge Gaps and Limited Communication about Pregnancy Optimistic Biases Knowledge Gaps The Missing Puzzle Pieces Reproductive Anatomy and Sex Female Reproductive Anatomy Male Reproductive Anatomy The Basics of Sexual Intercourse Fertility The Signs of Fertility Influences of Fertility Realities of and Influences on Infertility Pregnancy The Beginning of a Pregnancy The Duration of Pregnancy Nutrition Communication about Sex and Unplanned Pregnancies Notes Chapter 4: “There’s Nothing Else We Can Do for You”: Acknowledging the Physical Challenges Surrounding Pregnancy Pregnancy and Its Physical Challenges The First Trimester The Second Trimester The Third Trimester After Delivery, the “Fourth Trimester” Delayed Medical Care Incomplete Pregnancies and Their Physical Challenges Miscarriages Abortions Hormonal Treatments Conclusion Notes Chapter 5: My Dream School Became “Draining”: Recognizing the Mental Challenges Surrounding Pregnancy Depression and Emotional Health Challenges among Parenting Students Stress and Related Health Challenges among Pregnant and Parenting Students Incomplete Pregnancies and Mental Health Risks Stigmatization and Its Effects Conclusion Notes Chapter 6: “I Even Wondered, What Are My Rights?”: Title IX Compliance and Why It Is Often an Afterthought Current Compliance Requirements Summary Discrimination Prohibition Provide Academic Accommodations Medical Documentation Provision of Leave and Return to Status Summary Creating the Foundations of a Compliance Program for Pregnant and Parenting Students Where to Start Designation and Data Campus Communication, Policy, and Training Providing Adjustments and Accommodations Pregnancy as Disability How to Request, When to Request, and What Documentation to Request Discrimination Prevention and Resolution Academic Discrimination Student Organization Discrimination Conclusion Notes Part 2: Introduction to the Case Studies Notes Chapter 7: Silent Incompliance at a Mid-Size Private University The Scene Absent Messages Students Are Unaware of Rights and Resources Students Feel Unsupported Students Remain Relatively Alone Vague Language Students Are Uninformed on Existing Resources Students Are Uncertain of What to Do School Looks Unprepared and Unwilling to Help Relational Discourse Silence is Perpetuated School Remains Unsupportive Conclusion Notes Chapter 8: Hospitality as Compliance at a Small Private College The Scene Commonplace Discourse Family Is Normalized on Campus School-Life Barrier Is Broken Down Pregnancy and Parenting Situations Are De-escalated Constitutive Rhetoric Campus Community Members Are Encouraged to Practice Support Panic among Pregnant Students Is Mitigated Inclusive Messages Sense of Belonging Is Affirmed Continued Education and Campus Involvement Are Facilitated Conclusion Notes Chapter 9: Structural Support and Insufficiencies at a Large State School The Scene Clear Structural Support Intentional Inclusion Is Shown Pregnant and Parenting Population Begins to Be Normalized Enduring Deficiencies May Be Masked Lack of Visual Presence Outreach to Students Is Limited Other Forms of Support Are Hindered Referral Messages Support Is Underutilized Responsibility to Support Is Passed On Conclusion Notes Chapter 10: Complying with Title IX Means Making Schools Supportive Spaces The Cycle of Under-Support Necessary Types of Support Structural Support Informational Support Tangible Support Network Support Emotional Support Using Communication to Build Supportive Spaces Interpersonal Communication Mass Communication Visual Communication The Duty to Support Pregnant and Parenting Students Notes Bibliography Index "This book explores the discrepancies among what protections Title IX provides to pregnant and parenting students, what colleges communicate, and what pregnant and parenting students actually experience. To actually protect pregnant and parenting students, the authors argue that a school must provide multi-faceted support that is effectively communicated to an entire campus community, including students who are parenting, who are pregnant, and who may become pregnant. The first part of the book portrays the realities of pregnancy and parenting in college. The chapters illuminate population demographics, how unplanned pregnancies in college occur, and physical and mental health challenges that these students often experience. The authors then discuss what compliance with Title IX legally entails and why meeting it is often an afterthought. In the second half of the book, the authors use mixed-methods research to map the compliance landscapes of three schools in the southeast as examples: a large state school, a mid-size private university, and a small private college. Offering eye-opening interviews with pregnant and parenting students, interdisciplinary research, and proposals for multi-faceted support and communication on college campuses, this volume will engage students, scholars, and activists with an interest in higher education administration, educational policy, reproductive health, bioethics, gender studies, and rhetoric"-- Provided by publisher