A new policy at The University of Memphis prohibits faculty, staff and students from bringing their children to campus.
According to an e-mail sent to all students, faculty and staff at The U of M on June 20, minors will no longer be allowed in “campus workplaces, classrooms, or unsupervised circumstances on campus.”
The policy was passed and approved on June 15.
For two U of M students the policy makes sense and is needed in their classrooms.
“I had a geography class a couple of years ago and one day there were two kids and someone else brought their baby to class,” said journalism major Gary Burcl.
“I think the policy is good because there is always a chance a child can act up and students don’t need distractions if they are paying for tuition.”
Michael Harris, finance and marketing major, agreed that the policy is good, although he noted there haven’t been any problems during any of his classes.
The policy is not just applicable to students, because there are many faculty and staff members on campus with children.
“Occasionally I would bring my child from his nearby school after or between activities,” said Teen Appeal director Dianne Bragg. “I thought the policy was hastily put together and it needed some more input first.”
As someone who views this situation from the side of both a parent and faculty member, Bragg said she has never experienced a problem with a child being in her class.
“I remember one student who brought her child and there was never any problem, and the child was very well-behaved,” she said.
Loel Kim, an assistant professor in the English department, has likewise never had any real problems.
“I haven’t really had this happen a lot, but the few times it has, it was usually a hard situation for the parent and I always think the student should get to my class,” Kim said. “There is no problem as long as a child is well-behaved.”
She added that one daughter of a student would regularly come to a Saturday night class and would sit outside the room and never caused any problems.
In the electrical engineering department at The U of M, professor Charles Bray cannot recall any instances with children being in his class over the years.
“(Children in classes) have never been a problem for me,” he said.
Bray also said that while the children were not always cleared to come ahead of time, they were well behaved, and attendance was usually the result of some emergency.
Bragg thinks children in the class should sometimes be a decision left to someone else.
“Each staff member should be able to make their own call,” she said. “Professors or other instructors should be able to have discretion.”
The policy states “Presence in classrooms is restricted to properly enrolled students or visitors with legitimate purpose, who may be adults or minors.”
It also outlines specific areas where minors are not allowed on campus, such as construction sites, workshops and student computer labs.
There is an FAQ section on the policy’s Web site for students or staff members relating to certain parts of the policy.
The entire policy is viewable at http://policies.memphis.edu/UM1645.htm
