It may not be evident that a professor lecturing on Aristotle or Milton was watching "Blues Clues" and "Barney" just a few hours before class. But across campus, professors and instructors are doing just that - raising children while at the same time striving to live up to the academic standards of university life.
Sandro D'Onofrio, a teaching assistant and graduate student of philosophy, and his wife, Susana Rodriguez, a TA and graduate student of Spanish language and literature, have a 2-year-old daughter who attends daycare at the UB Child Care Center.
The couple is from Peru, and because English is not their first language, studying and academic work takes that much more time and effort. D'Onofrio said there is never enough time in the day to work, study and spend time with their child.
"We are far from our relatives and know few people here, so it is difficult to find people to baby-sit or watch our daughter in an emergency," said D'Onofrio.
D'Onofrio and Rodriguez have found that pairing up with other parents in similar situations is beneficial and helps ease the stress. They met with an American mother who speaks Spanish and is also a graduate student who has similar difficulty finding time to study. They take turns watching each other's children.
But it is not just foreign parents at UB who are separated from their relatives. According to English professor Barbara Bono, most professors move away from home to get their teaching positions, and do not have extended family and friends as resources while raising their children.
UB faculty and students with children often make use of the university's Child Care Center and the Early Childhood Research Center, which provide subsidized services.
D'Onofrio's daughter attends daycare at the UB facility while her parents teach and attend class. "In the beginning we had a lowered rate, but now I have a scholarship that covers the cost of the daycare," said D'Onofrio.
Even with the scholarship, money is tight for the family. They each make $8,400 per year as teaching assistants, and because they are international students, there are restrictions that keep them from getting other jobs.
D'Onofrio said it is hard to support a family of three with a combined income of $16,800, but he feels he has few other options. "We are only authorized to work in the university. I've heard it is almost impossible to get permission to work at other jobs," he said.
Even for professors with higher salaries and secure teaching positions, finding the time to care for a child is difficult.
Most official "child leave" policies, which allow for 6-8 weeks off for expectant mothers, create real problems for departments, prospective parents and students. The department must cover the professor's class for part of the semester.
"It is not always possible to find a substitute when what you are teaching represents an area of your expertise," said Bono. "It would be beneficial to academics if childbirth policies permitted a semester off for prospective parents."
Many professors plan to have children during the summer months, so as not to conflict with the university schedule. Others take their allotted time and combine it with accrued sick time so the entire semester is covered.
Carrie Tirado Bramen, English professor and director of Graduate Admissions and Fellowships, agrees that a semester off should be granted for childbirth. Bramen used accumulated sick leave along with the permitted child leave time when she and her husband, professor David Schmid, had their daughter, Lucia, in November 2000.
Bramen was able to have what she calls a "tenure baby." She had job security and a book accepted for publication before Lucia was born so she could enjoy the early years of her child's life without the pressure of publishing deadlines.
Although she was fortunate enough to work out a semester of paid leave time, when she inquired about paternity leave provisions she took the university's benefits office by surprise. Bramen said that paternity leave, which allows fathers to be at home for their child's early months, is an alien concept to the university and should be considered an option.
After having a child and returning to work, many parent professors find it hard to shift back and forth between the classroom and "Romper Room."
"It is difficult to balance the pleasures of parenthood with the pleasures of intellectual life," said Bramen. "Parenthood requires a tremendous amount of connection, focus, time and energy, and is not conducive to the solitude that one requires for academic work."
According to Bramen, academic work fulfills her in ways that motherhood does not, and conversely motherhood fulfills her in ways that intellectual life cannot. She gains pleasure from both aspects of her life, but because her daughter ultimately comes first, it is a daily challenge just to set aside time for quiet thought.
"Negotiating between the two worlds has been difficult, but well worth it. The balance is ideal, but difficult to maintain on an everyday level," said Bramen.
