SEAHO Report - Fall 2021 - 18

FEATURE ARTICLES
Mom Chronicles -
Residence Life and Housing Edition
Curated by Ashley Owens, University of Richmond
" Being a mother is learning about strengths you didn't know you had
...and dealing with fears you didn't know existed. "
- Linda Wooten
Motherhood is a world of the unknown, but it can also be a world of transformation, liberation, and pure joy. At
the crossroads of motherhood, and a career in Residence Life & Housing, stand seven mothers who have come
together to share their narratives with you. This group of mothers represent a wide variety of backgrounds,
identities, positions,and locations. We have pulled stories, advice, and experiences regarding topics that reveal
the intersections of being a mother in residence life and housing. Such topics range from living on campus, job
expectations, colleague relations, serving on call, and a few more. With this article, we hope to enlighten and
invite you into our world as we challenge your departments to take an honest look at practices, protocols, and
habits to answer the following question: Is your department " Mom " or " Parent " friendly/inclusive? Additionally,
with this article we hope to inspire and empower future residence life and housing mothers as they embark on
their own journeys. Without further adieu, I welcome you to hear their voices...
Ashley C. Owens
Area Coordinator/ Mother of One
University of Richmond
Work, Life, Motherhood, Harmony?
" I wear so many hats. Director. Committee Chair. Wife. Daughter. Soror. Colleague. Church Member. In July of
2020, I added a new hat to the list-MOMMY. In July of 2020, my husband and I welcomed a beautiful baby boy
into our family. Being pregnant is something, but being pregnant during a pandemic is something else. While we
were excited about our beautiful blessing, he came a month and a half early via c-section. I returned to work 8
days after he was born because I wanted to officially take maternity leave when I could have him home. After 35
days, he graduated from NICU and was able to come home, and I officially started my maternity leave.
I took off 8 weeks during maternity leave. I removed my email from my phone. My supervisor and Assistant
Director stepped in to oversee housing operations, and I bonded with Baby Nate with little to no interruption
from work.
But as quickly as it started, it was over and time for me to go back to work. I was okay with this because I knew
Baby Nate was safe with my momma, and I returned to work eager to get back to the grind. I really thought that
adding the 'mom' hat was going to a breeze. Ha. It was a breeze that knocked me off my feet. "
Erin Vaughn Jones, Ph.D.
Director, Student Housing and Residence Life and Deputy Title IX Coordinator/ Mother of One
Hinds Community College
" The emotional labor of figuring out logistics to get your kid to/from school, prepping meals and grocery
shopping, remembering PTA meetings and parent/teacher conferences, signing up for and then getting to
and from extracurriculars, making sure she knows just how much I love today's rainbow-themed artwork, all
while seeking to be successful in my role at work and show emotional intelligence when my little one decides
to lose her everloving mind at bedtime is exhausting. Not just tired... like deep-in-my-bones exhausted (with
or without all of the other terrible things happening in the world). And - at the end of the day - wonderful. I
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SEAHO Report - Fall 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of SEAHO Report - Fall 2021