Editor:

Some of us go through college feeling that the U is looking out for our best interests and catering to our many needs by offering a variety of student discounts.

However, many of us poor students are also poor parents of young families.

Are we, as poor-student parents, really being catered to? Is the university providing students the benefits they deserve? After all, we all pay plenty of fees on top of tuition every semester!

I recently took my wife and 10-month-old son to go swimming at the campus pool.

For our barely crawling infant to get in the pool, we were asked to buy a recreation pass at an adult price!

An adult pass pays for the swimming pool, all the sports courts, the indoor jogging track, the weight room and cycling machines, locker rooms and showers.

The last time I watched my 10-month-old son’s progress, he was not capable of lifting a 5-pound dumbbell-let alone his own spoon to feed himself.

Maybe they thought he was going to get in the pool and start swimming laps!

In reality, he barely got his legs wet as I held him while my wife swam.

My child does not and cannot use any of the facilities he is charged for when buying a pass.

If they are going to charge the normal adult fee for my infant son, I think they should at least provide appropriate accommodations for him.

The pool has no shallow end for children. The locker rooms have no changing tables.

The facilities do not include a children’s playing room, let alone any kind of appropriate supervision while he “uses” the facilities.

Even when my son is a walking toddler, he will still not be able to reach any of the water fountains, sinks or toilets.

Is it really fair to pay an adult price for a child when the school has no appropriate amenities to even accommodate a child?

My pass may be free, but it becomes merely a slight discount when I have to pay for another adult to allow my infant son to wet his feet.

Shawn Theobald

Sophomore, Pre-Nursing