Voting yes on child care fee benefits all of UNC

TO THE EDITOR:

Today students have the chance to vote in support of the child care services fee increase and help fund child care scholarships for student parents on campus.

The majority of the student body benefits from this fee as many of those eligible for these scholarships are graduate and professional students otherwise known as our teaching assistants and research assistants. TAs and research assistants help teach the large majority of us and are critical to UNC's reputation as a world-renowned research institution. Undergraduate parents also provide valuable perspectives in class and to life beyond the classroom.

One student a freshman found the most affordable child care she could but still pays twice as much for her child care as she does for tuition. Another student scheduled his classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays his senior year so he could care for his daughter the rest of the week while his partner worked full-time. Despite the high cost of child care in this area full child care coverage is hard to come by as day cares are often closed on holidays that UNC holds classes.

Lastly student fees fund services and events to encourage diversity and dialogue within the campus community.

Building community benefits us all. Students for instance pay exorbitant fees for athletic and recreational opportunities that not everyone participates in but the campus as a whole indirectly benefits from.

Vote yes for the child care services fee increase and forever impact the lives of student parents and their children.



May S. Li Shih

UNC Student Parent

Association