A professor at Savannah State University turned into a mother’s hero when her 7-month-old baby, who she had to bring to class, started making noise.
The mother, Jarquita Arrington, brought son Panda to her business administration class after her husband got out of a meeting late and wasn’t able to watch him. This was Arrington’s first day of her master’s program.
Dr. Rebecca Setliff, an adjunct professor, agreed, so Arrington and Panda both came to class.
And when Panda started making cooing noises, Setliff stepped in to help.
“She walked over to the baby and said, ‘Well, let me see the baby. Let me see if I can quiet him back down again,’” Arrington told WJCL.
Panda did quiet down, and Setliff carried him around on her hip for the whole class, Arrington said.
The master’s of business administration grad program at Savannah State is an intense program, faculty and staff say. Despite the large workload, Arrington said the faculty makes it worth it.
“You’re able to get that individualized attention as a student as opposed to maybe being a number because you’re in a classroom with maybe 150 kids,” she told WJCL.
For Setliff, she said she just wants Arrington to get the most out of her class, as she does for all her students. She understands her students’ lives can get a bit chaotic at times.
“I wanted to help her, and I wanted her to be able to focus on staying in the class. My classes are heavy discussion,” Setliff told WJCL.
“We as faculty need to work with them. Just so they get to classes just like a job.
