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Pregnancy and Lactation Accommodations

Lactation Rooms and Other Resources

Employees and students have access to lactation rooms on the Evanston and Chicago campuses. Read about lactation rooms on campus.

For more information on the resources available to parenting students, faculty, and staff, including resources for students with children, childcare options and available subsidies, family, and medical leave and information on flexible work arrangements, visit Work/Life and Family Resources in the HR website.

Reporting Obligations

If an employee indicates that they may need an accommodation related to pregnancy or related conditions, they can be provided OCR's contact information to request accommodations.

If a student discloses their pregnancy or related conditions to a University employee, that employee must give the student:

  1. the name and contact information of the Title IX Coordinator and
  2. let the student know that the Title IX Coordinator can coordinate specific actions to prevent sex discrimination and ensure the student's equal access to the recipient's education program or activity.

The Title IX Coordinator's contact information is as follows:

Emily Babb, Associate Vice President for Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance; Title IX Coordinator
1800 Sherman Ave., Suite 4500
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 467-6165
OCR@northwestern.edu or accommodations@northwester.edu

Pregnancy Accommodation Requests

For Faculty/Staff

Staff members who require leave for pregnancy or childbirth-related reasons should contact the Office of Human Resources, Benefits Division at benefits@northwestern.edu or (847) 491-7513.

For Students

  • Pregnancy-Related Accommodations: Contact the Title IX Coordinator at accommodations@northwestern.edu for accommodations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related conditions. Students can also request pregnancy-related accommodations by filling out the Reasonable Accommodation Request Form (PDF version). This process is available to both undergraduate and graduate students, as well as PhD candidates.
  • Lactation Resources: Lactation rooms are available on both campuses. Lactation Support provides information on how to reserve a lactation room on the Evanston or Chicago campus, and about general support available.
  • Confidentiality: Information regarding pregnancy accommodations will remain confidential, shared only on a need-to-know basis. See the Reasonable Accommodation Policy for more information.
  • Grievances: Individuals who experience issues with accommodations can file a grievance with OCR. See the Reasonable Accommodation Policy for more information.
  • Leaves of Absence: Graduate students with children can find additional information and resources at The Graduate School website.
  • CARE: The Center for Awareness, Response and Prevention offers additional Pregnancy Resources.