TimesLeader.com

October 5
Women with kids in tow get education

By Rebecca Bria rbria@timesleader.com
Staff Writer

It was Linda Mullen’s son’s birthday, but she had to go to class.

Mullen took Jacob with her to Michael Duffy’s class at Misericordia University and the young boy spilled soda. Duffy announced he had to get more coffee and Mullen was relieved she would have time to clean up the mess.

But Duffy didn’t bring back coffee. Instead, he carried in a cake he baked himself for Jacob.

Mullen is a participant in Misericordia’s Women with Children Program. The program provides single mothers and their children free on-campus housing while the women earn their bachelor’s or master’s degrees.

The program will be able to include four more mothers and up to eight of their children beginning in the spring 2009 semester due to a financial gift from Sidney and Pauly Friedman. Ten mothers and up to 20 of their children will now be able to live at the university.

Currently, six students and their children are enrolled in the Women with Children Program and live in Rosary Hall on Lake Street. Thanks to the donation from the Friedmans, another house owned by Misericordia on the street is being renovated for additional women and children. The home will be named the Pauly House.

The Women with Children Program at Misericordia University was started in 2000 by former dean of students Sister Jean Messaros, now the vice-president of student affairs and director of Mercy Integration. Vicki Austin, director of the Women with Children Program, says Messaros was prompted to form the program after she saw so many single mothers struggling to make it through college.

Austin says the need for a college program for single moms in northeastern Pennsylvania is evident based on the two to three inquiries she receives from women every week, most of whom are residents of the area.

Single mothers accepted into the university are eligible for the Women with Children Program. They cannot have an undergraduate degree, although they are allowed to have an associate’s degree. The women also must be the primary custodial parent and may have no more than two children between the ages of 2 when the mother begins classes and no older than 12 upon her graduation.

Rosary Hall, a former convent, is a three-story building with plenty of bedrooms. Each woman in the home receives two bedrooms for her family and shares common areas including a kitchen, living room, dining room, playroom, computer lab and library. The women may prepare their own meals inside of the home or opt to purchase a meal plan for the university’s dining hall. Their children are allowed unlimited free on-campus meals.

Other benefits of the Women with Children Program include lessons on budgeting money, specialized peer and professional tutoring, career development and two mentors - one from the campus community and one from the advisory committee. The women also attend several workshops per semester with topics such as positive parenting, child development milestones, community living skills, self esteem enhancement and communication skills.

During the day while the moms are in class, children go to nearby day care centers or attend Dallas schools. Those in the program who financially qualify can receive day care subsidized up to 40 percent by Misericordia.

“I think one of the biggest benefits for them is living in a community with people with similar goals,” Austin said. “The greatest benefit is also the biggest challenge - living with five other moms.”

Austin points out the children also get to see a college campus and the benefits of a college education.

Mullen, a senior majoring in secondary education with minors in chemistry and psychology, has been living in Rosary Hall with 9-year-old Jacob since February 2006. The 29-year-old former Nanticoke resident heard about Misericordia’s Women with Children Program from co-workers at Bed Bath and Beyond who attended the university.

Intrigued by the program, Mullen called to inquire and was told there was a three and a half year wait. Determined to continue her education, Mullen enrolled at Misericordia anyway in the fall 2005.

When two bedrooms in the house opened up in January of the next year, Mullen was offered them. She moved in the beginning of February 2006, transferring Jacob from Nanticoke to Dallas area schools.

Mullen says she’s been fully accepted by the traditional college students, who are seven to 11 years younger than she. When she was nominated for Misericordia’s 2008 homecoming court, her roommates ordered pizza and baked a cake in celebration.

“The biggest thing the program has given me is it’s allowed me to have the college experience,” Mullen said. “I’ve been able to experience a lot and do things on campus. It’s enabled Jake to do things on a college campus because there are not many things I go to where I don’t bring him.”