ABSTRACT
Chapter 2 presents the true story of a college administration that is in denial about the existence of pregnant and parenting students on their campus. Through this story and the subsequent data provided, readers are led to recognize related realities on their own college campuses. The authors clarify that one in five students are pregnant and parenting, that this population spans demographics, and that these students are present on all college campuses—even if they are unacknowledged. To enhance these students’ visibility, the authors explain why pregnant and parenting students are unseen and unheard on campuses, even when Title IX acknowledges them. To correct misperceptions, the authors then present estimates of the pregnant student population and the parenting student population by drawing upon existing data from numerous types of sources. The presence, inclusion, and exclusion of parenting students and their children are mapped as the chapter explores college classrooms and offices, campus childcare centers, and campus housing. The authors establish that even in the many cases where pregnant and parenting students and their children are unseen, unheard, or excluded, they nonetheless comprise a significant part of college communities.
