Editor,
Raquel Cordova's letter in Friday's Daily Lobo inspired me because of my similar experience last fall.
Though there is no policy requiring it, my department offered to let me use its comprehensive-exam room as a location to pump while I was away from my 6-month-old daughter. The only hitch was that I was not permitted to have a key or access code to the room, which meant I had to have someone open the door for me every time I pumped. Though demeaning and at times inconvenient, I was grateful that any accommodations had been made at all.
That was until early in November of 2005, when the staff person designated to give me access to the room refused to let me in. She offered no excuse, but she seemed obviously frustrated about it having fallen solely on her to take the 10 minutes necessary, three times a week, to give me access to the room.
That same semester, the department I belong to was in the planning stages of a major renovation project. I went through the proper channels to request that a space be designated for women students, staff and faculty to breast pump or feed. The faculty liaison reported back that this suggestion was met with resistance and that the planning committee members felt - perhaps hoped - that lactating women on campus were too rare to justify their own space.
Oddly enough, other universities have felt that supporting lactation is a worthwhile priority. For example, the University of California-Davis reports having 24 lactation rooms across campus. The University of Michigan has 19; the University of Iowa has 18; and the University of Texas has 10. UNM is clearly behind the curve when it comes to this issue.
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A New York Times article on Friday stated that this is not just a university issue, but also a state and federal issue.
"Nearly half of new mothers return to work within the first year of their child's life. But federal law offers no protection to mothers who milk on the job," the article stated.
Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, a Democrat from New York, said, "I can't understand why this doesn't move. This is pro-family, pro-health, pro-economy."
Twelve states have passed laws protecting pumping mothers. New Mexico is not one of them.
I am presenting a proposal on this topic Saturday to the Graduate Professional Student Association. If you know of spaces around campus that may be considered for conversion into lactation rooms, or if you have been or plan to be a lactating student, please show your support.
Lissa Knudsen
UNM student
