Volume 124 Issue 48
kansan.com
Friday, October 28, 2011
the student voice since 1904
HEALTH
SPEAK
How a routine advising appointment helped one Jayplay writer find her inner strength and face her changing role as a mother
Contributed Photo Motherly Love: Christy holds her 10-month-old daughter Miriam The picture was taken during Christy's first full semester back at the University after having her daughter.
I arrived to my advising appointment 10 minutes early and quietly peeked into the office. Inside a student sat with another adviser chatting about her future. My adviser was busy typing at her computer, so I straightened my loose dress and took a seat in the waiting area. I had made it almost three months into the semester without anyone noticing my swollen body. It was not that I was ashamed, but it was refreshing to have school as the one place in my life where I could forget about the uncertainty of everything.
"Well, I didn't even see you come in. Please come, have a seat," Lynn Tidwell said to me.
I had met with Tidwell several times while attending the University of Kansas. She had a reputation for being the best adviser. She never missed a tricky loop in the system or forgot to count those precious double dip credits. She treated her profession like an art, carefully maneuvering the pieces, fitting your credits together and showing all the possible options until, at last, your future was settled with a cohesive plan. Even though I was afraid of confronting
my plan, something about her was comforting.
Tidwell and I greeted each other and then got down to business.
"I printed off your credit form and it looks like you only have a few more classes before graduation, Tidwell said. "What would you like to look at today?"
I took a breath and looked over at the other student in the office, then turned my attention back to Tidwell.
"I will be taking some time off school, and before I go I want to have some sort of plan for when I return," I said. I could see the question at the tips of Tidwell's squinted eyes.
"I'm pregnant. I'm going to have a baby in October and plan on taking a year off school to stay at home with my baby," I said. It felt good to say it. But something in the reality of the situation unexpectedly hit my gut leaving a sharpness in my throat. My eyes felt dry, like the quiet before the storm.
If Tidwell was shocked, she played it off well.
"Well congratulations! A baby, that's great. We will figure out a plan for you. We are going to make this work." Her words were sincere. She was upbeat and optimistic. Then she went to work. She counted credits, double-checked class levels and made sure I met all the requirements. I gazed over her shoulder following her pencil marks. I was 18 credits shy of graduating.
I was close enough that giving up wasn't an option, but I couldn't help but feel defeated. My all hard work up to this point couldn't be in vain, could it? Were those sleepless nights of studying all for nothing? What about the daunting pile of debt waiting to be repaid? Not to mention my dreams, my future, my worthiness.
I was afraid to blink,afraid to breathe.
Tidwell looked at me. I tried to give her a little smile, but the muscles in my cheeks were tight, working hard to control my emotions. All I could manage was a slight twitch at the corner of my lips.
"Look, look. If you get this class out of the way next summer, then you can finish in a year being part time," she said without doubt. "You can do this. Just take it slow and steady."
Something in her words gave me a glimpse of hope. I knew it wouldn't be easy, but mothers* find a way to do it all the time.
The muscles in my cheeks loosened enough for me to flash a half-hearted smile.
"You are going to graduate, and your baby will be waiting to see you walk down the hill on commencement. I'll even knit her a Jayhawk hat," Tidwell said.
The absurdity of this made me laugh. I never expected my adviser to actually knit my child a hat, but now I was beginning to believe that I might graduate.
I left the office thanking Tidwell and made my way to the back door of the building. I sat on a concrete block alone with my thoughts. The suppressed tears welled in my eyes. It wasn't supposed to happen like this. You were suppose to graduate college, find a career, get married and then have a baby. Not start college, get pregnant, and then engaged. The tears began to flow. I reached in my backpack and grabbed my phone. I dialed my fiancé's number desperate to find comfort, to hear somebody tell me it would be all right.
Right before I entered the call, a butterfly ripple stirred in my belly. It wasn't a turn of emotions, but the faintest proof of existence from the tiny baby growing inside me. I put the phone down and cupped my belly. Something else inside me shifted with the movement. With one hand still resting on my belly, I dried my tears and took a deep breath. It was time to come to terms with my life, time for me to be the strong one.
It would be difficult, but I would graduate. Not for me, not in hopes of becoming a journalist in a big city, but for her. I would graduate so that I could get a professional desk job that offered insurance for her. I would graduate so that one day I can honestly tell her that she can do anything she put her mind to.
CHRISTY NUTT
1. 下列各组词中，错误的是（    ）
Through an executive order, President Obama will move forward with his "Pay as You Earn" proposal that will help reduce monthly student loan payments. By 2014, borrowers will be able cap their payments at 10 percent of their discretionary funds and consolidate their loans, which will reduce interest rates.
Obama's proposal will allow more than 1.5 million students to take advantage of the cap and six million students the ability to consolidate their loans in 2012.
SOURCE: OFFICE OF INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH AND PLANNING
Jill Jess, director for news and media at KU University Relations,
The White House announced Tuesday that the administration will take steps to increase college affordability by making it easier to manage student loan debt.
"It's unfortunate that financial setbacks can prevent students from pursuing their true dreams," Iler said. "They have to get a job that they know will help them pay back their loans."
said capping the monthly payment allows former students in repayment to better manage their finances if they are in low-income
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DAVID SCOTT
dmscott@kansan.com
positions. The consolidation of the Direct Loan program and
SEE LOANS ON PAGE 3
"We are hopefully preventing missing classes," said Ken Sarber, public health educator for the University.
Students have the option of immunization through a shot or nasal mist, which cost $15 and $20, respectively. Jacque Bagwell, a nurse giving vaccines for the clinic, sees the benefit of her work.
tries by coming on campus unnecessarily.
The flu shot also assists with students' education.
Molly Iler, a senior in English from Summit, N.J., is a bit skeptical about the feasibility of the idea. She wonders if the program can keep interest rates down while borrowers pay less. But she holds out hope that the president's proposal will help fellow students.
"It's important for your health and the health of those around you." Bagwell said.
"In a global economy, putting a college education within reach for every American has never been more important," President Obama said at the plan's announcement in Denver. "But it's also never been more expensive."
The vaccination via shot consists of three inactive, non-live flu viruses that are expected to be most common this flu season out of the 200 flu strains in circulation. The flu mist consists
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students," said Wenger. "I enjoy getting to interact with patients and becoming more comfortable with the process."
Wenger even considers opening his own flu clinic someday after he graduates. While there are concerns that immunizations might eventually be ineffective because of their widespread use, Wenger's confident that the vaccines will continue to help flu prevention without any long-term consequences.
As for Bissell's unexpected flu vaccination, she feels positive about her experience.
"I would highly suggest it. It's a really fast process," said Bissell. "I was in and out within five minutes between my classes."
CRYPTOQUIPS 4
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Edited by Sarah Champ
SPORTS 10
SUDOKU 4
all contents; unless stated otherwise, © 2011 The University Daily Kansan
Don't forget
Have fun and stay safe over the Halloween weekend.
Today's Weather
HI: 60
LO: 29
Forecasted calls by University students. For a more detailed forecast see page 2A.
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Sunny day and a chilly night