USG resolution affirms Title IX protections for pregnant and parenting students

Owen Conn
Thu, 17 Oct 2019 03:27:42 +0000
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Undergraduate Student Government discusses protections for pregnant and parenting students. Credit: Casey Cascaldo | Managing Editor for Multimedia

Undergraduate Student Government showed its support for pregnant and parenting students Wednesday night during its General Assembly meeting with a unanimous vote on Title IX legislation.

Resolution 52-R-12 seeks to raise awareness of and ensure that Ohio State adheres to the protections that are afforded to students who have children or are pregnant under Title IX, according to the legislation.

Title IX explicitly prevents discrimination based on sex in the academic world and also puts forth a number of protections for students who are pregnant, have recently had a child, had a miscarriage or have had an abortion, according to the Office of University Compliance and Integrity’s website.

According to an analysis of U.S. Department of Education data by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, 22 percent — or 3.8 million — of undergraduate students are parents.

Sen. Maddie Carson, USG health and safety legislative coordinator and a second-year in industrial and systems engineering, was the resolution’s primary sponsor.

“Whenever there’s a conversation about Title IX, I want to make sure parenting and pregnant students are brought into the equation,” Carson said.

There was no opposition to the resolution in the Senate Chamber.

“I can’t think of a single reason to vote ‘no’ on this one,” Sen. Alek Kundla, a second-year in computer science and engineering, said of the legislation.

Carson said she hopes that by passing the resolution, the Ohio State student body will be more aware of its rights. Carson also said she plans to bring the resolution before Big Ten undergraduate student governments in a January conference, which is hosted by the Association of Big Ten Students.