Elizabeth Vierling: UMass child care lacking

I was interested to see that UMass is apparently planning to build an expanded child care facility [“Child care lack leaves hundreds waiting on list,” Gazette, Nov. 9]. I question if the plans are “expansive” enough.

It is distressing that UMass finds donors for academic buildings, but donors to make a real dent in the child care problem seemingly don’t exist. Don’t donors have children? Grandchildren? Are donors so insulated from these basic needs? Or is having your name on child care center instead of a nursing school or business building just too low profile?

UMass has built fabulous recreation and dining facilities to attract students, but completely neglected child care, which is critical to attracting and retaining excellent faculty and staff (and diverse students) without which the university can’t operate or achieve its goals of greater excellence. Importantly, real diversity and inclusion for faculty, staff and students will never be achieved without high quality, accessible and flexible child care. All other efforts at DEI are doomed to make little progress without addressing this critical need.

The Faculty Senate report on child care needs was excellent. UMassfunders, both state and private, need to seriously take notice and make this issue a much higher priority and target for investment. Wouldn’t it be great if UMass were first in the nation in quality child care, not just student dining?

Elizabeth Vierling

Amherst