Issue date: 10/2/06 Section: News

Media Credit: Suzanne Sullivan BABY ON BOARD - Pregnant 22-year-old finance student Katie Schultz poses for the camera.

Eight months from now 22-year-old Katie Schultz will become a Cal State Fullerton graduate. Two months from now she will become a mother.

"We were planning on having kids right after I graduated," Schultz said. "It was going to happen soon but not during school."

Schultz said she learned she was expecting during the spring semester and was concerned about the complications that could arise due to her pregnancy.

"I was worried about morning sickness and going to classes," she said. "I had a few hard days but for the most part I wasn't sick at all. It has been a really easy pregnancy actually."

Although Schultz did not plan on having children before she graduated, she does not plan on taking any time off from school until after she receives her degree.

"Because the baby is due right around Thanksgiving, I am hoping that she will come early so that I can have the baby during fall recess," Schultz said.

"I adjusted my schedule for allowing a lot of home time for when the baby comes so I will be able to breastfeed and be there."

Schultz is among some students on campus who chose to continue attending classes throughout their pregnancy despite the added challenges that it may bring.

When it comes to pregnant students on campus, the university has no written policy on how an expecting mother should go about managing school.

The university considers pregnancy a personal matter, leaving students to decide on their own how

they balance school and their pregnancy.

In addition, CSUF does not keep track of pregnant students on campus because most expecting mothers make their own arrangements and accommodations without notifying the university,

health educator Bonnie White said.

In her experience, like Schultz, most pregnant students want to continue attending classes, said Director of Academic Advisement Bridget Driscoll.

"In the situations I have been involved in, most of the mothers want to stay in school so I work with them to develop a plan of action for academic and physiological success," Driscoll wrote in an e-mail interview.

"Of course at the end of the semester my students love it when they read the last page of the test that wishes them a safe, speedy delivery and a healthy, happy child."

Continued...

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