Pointers for Employees Working with Students

A: Please wait for your student to either disclose their pregnancy to you or for a staff member in Student Affairs (i.e. Case Management and Victim Support Services or CMVSS) to contact you. Pregnancy should be treated as any private matter and you should not ask questions, ask for medical documentation, or otherwise attempt to get a person to divulge medical information. It is the student’s prerogative to share news and/or details of their pregnancy with you when they feel that it is right to do so.

A: We encourage you to ask your student “how can I help you?” in response to this news. This question is intentionally open-ended, giving the student the opportunity to share as much or as little information as they are comfortable providing. Please remember that pregnancy may be fraught and congratulations are not always in order – “how are you feeling?” is also a good question to ask. After that initial question, assure your student that you want to help them access the services they need to continue their studies at Tulane. Then, find out if they have been in contact with Student Affairs or with the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. If they have not, direct them to pregnancy.tulane.edu to begin that process.

A: Not necessarily. Each student’s case is unique, based on the timing of the pregnancy, the program they are in, and the specific courses they are taking that semester. In some cases, a withdrawal will make the most sense; in other cases, temporary adjustments may be possible so that the student does not need to withdraw. In all cases, CMVSS will work with the student and the department to explore these options so that the student can make an informed decision.

A: To the extent possible, we ask students to notify us early enough that schedules can be adjusted to accommodate leave. This allows departments to assign duties in such a way that classes are not unduly interrupted – for instance, a student who is a teaching assistant can be assigned to grading duties or be paired with another teaching assistant for that semester. Research duties can be spread among other members of the lab or put on hiatus for the duration of the parental leave. If your department is finding this to be a challenge from a financial perspective, please reach out to your dean’s office for assistance.

A: Yes, students on stipend are eligible for up to eight weeks of parental leave, per covered birth, adoption, or fostering of a child under five years of age. The policy can be found on the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies website.

A: In general, no. If the grant is more generous, for instance giving 12 weeks of parental leave instead of eight, then we will honor the terms of the grant. If the grant does not stipulate any parental leave, Tulane’s policy will be used. In all cases where students are supported on grants, we will work closely with the Sponsored Projects Administration to make sure that we are in compliance with the terms of the grant.

A: Pregnant students should not be discriminated against if they are unable to work in certain capacities during the course of their pregnancy; other work, such as remote participation, research in the library, literature reviews, or writing grant proposals (if they are a research assistant) are possible alternatives for the duration of pregnancy. Additionally, there may be personal protective equipment that would reduce the risk to an acceptable level if the pregnant student wishes to be present in the lab. If you have questions about what constitutes a reasonable adjustment during pregnancy, please reach out to the Title IX Coordinator.

A: The student can volunteer this information; however, if they do not, please coordinate with CMVSS.

A: We understand that in some cases, a student who has taken parental leave may not be ready to return to their studies and/or work after the period of leave. If that is the case, CMVSS will be in contact with you to help arrange a withdrawal for the student for the semester. This will be similar in practice to any personal or medical withdrawal that a student might have to take. It will not be paid, and the student will be advised by CMVSS, in coordination with their department and you as their advisor/principal investigator, of what the impact of leave will be on their academic progress.

A: We encourage all faculty to utilize the Title IX syllabus language, which includes information about Title IX protections for pregnant and parenting students, and to review this policy with their students at the start of each semester.

A: Generally, the Title IX Office is a good place to start. For more specific questions, Case Management and Victim Support Services may be able to answer, and for questions related to graduate students, the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies can help.