On Wednesday evening, Associated Students of UNM senators will deliberate over whether or not the undergraduate student governing body as a whole supports putting baby diaper-changing stations in all restrooms on campus.
The business comes in the form of Resolution 2F, introduced and authored by first-time Sen. Sadé Patterson, herself a mother.
The resolution cites 2015 New Mexico HB 538, which requires that “baby diaper-changing stations be equally available to men and women in restroom facilities in a place of public accommodation.”
For the purposes of that particular bill, its intent was aimed specific places such as hotels, restaurants, movie theaters and stores and higher education institutions.
The resolution acknowledges that there is a sizeable population of students at UNM who are also parents who sometimes have to bring their children to campus.
“Currently it is difficult to locate all diaper-changing stations on the UNM campus,” Resolution 2F states, making things unnecessarily difficult for student parents.
The legislation is timely, as just a few days ago President Barack Obama signed into law a bill that requires for all federal buildings to require changing stations in all men’s and women’s restrooms.
According to a 2014 study by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, nearly five million college students are also raising children. Of that number, 54 percent are either single mothers or fathers, a number that emphasizes the importance for universities to be accommodating with changing stations in all restrooms.
ASUNM Senate meets every other Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. in Lobo A and B, located in the top floor of the SUB.
David Lynch is the editor-in-chief at the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at editorinchief@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @RealDavidLynch.
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