College can be overwhelming in and of itself. Add a husband or wife and children on top of classes, exams and tuition, and things can get to be too much. Here are three organizations on campus that offer support to married students and students with children.

Residence Services

Allerton Family Housing offers a family-focused, family-oriented option to students with children. Brian Hellwig, Allerton apartment manager, said about 100 families currently live in Allerton apartments.

Residence Services also offers special programming for Allerton residents.

“We have trick or treating for kids,” Hellwig said. “We also have programming for parents on things like child issues and balancing coursework.”

Hellwig said daycare is provided for all programming aimed at adult residents, and Allerton also offers Summer Reads and summer lunch programs for children of working residents.

The Allerton complex features two-bedroom apartments available to rent for $690 per month. All utilities are included, with the exception of telephone service, and cable television and Internet access is provided.

Applications for residence in Allerton are available by contacting the Allerton office at (330) 672-2595 or online at www.res.kent.edu.

Adult Student Center

From advising adults thinking about coming back to college, to coordinating with other departments to help adult students succeed, the Adult Student Center aims to help these non-traditional students balance their education with other responsibilities.

“We have advising for students who are thinking about coming back to college,” said Rachel Anderson, director of the Adult Student Center. “Often people are coming back to school after a while. We meet with prospective students and help them through that first year transition.”

Anderson also coordinates the Literacy and Independence for

Family Education Living-Learning Community that is available to students living in Allerton who are single parents and their families.

LIFE is a one-year program that includes a book scholarship, resources and programming to help these students make it into their second year, Anderson said.

“Last week, Dr. Pamela Farer-Singleton from University Health Services did a session on dating and relationships for single parents,” Anderson said. “It’s a little different. You live by different rules when you have little ones running around at home.”

Time management and logistical issues are the biggest concerns student-parents bring to the Adult Student Center, she said.

“How are you going to find daycare?” she said. “How can you live in a place that’s child friendly? How can I take the bus to daycare and get to class on time when the bus that comes to Allerton doesn’t get there until after that? It’s more complicated than rolling out of bed and getting to class.”

Whatever the issue, the staff at the Adult Student Center tries to walk through the solution with each student. In addition to the academic and advocacy services the Center provides, parenting classes, listings of childcare offered throughout

Portage County and “tutoring on time management” is also available.

“Time isn’t your own anymore if you’re a parent,” Anderson said.

University Health Services

The women’s clinic at University Health Services offers a wide variety of services including contraception, gynecological testing and information on women’s health issues including:

-Pregnancy testing and counseling

-Diet, nutrition and exercise

-Family planning

-Relationship issues

— Adam Griffiths