Single parents are finding a new social support group with the Single Parents Support Network.

SPSN allows single parents to discuss and exchange information and experiences with other single parents on a weekly basis, said Penny Rosenthal, director of Off Campus and Adult Student Services.

Devna Popejoy is the group’s peer mentor and facilitates group meetings and director of campus services for single parents.

Group meetings are not structured to allow students more flexibility to share weekly concerns and problems. Popejoy, senior in child and family services, tries to be at every meeting to give the group stability.

“They just need someone to listen a lot of the time,” she said. “They need that one person that they know will be there.”

Popejoy also tries to bring a helpful skill to each meeting for the students. She said the group has about 15 members and is growing by word of mouth.

She said many of the parents coming to the meetings have similar concerns. Some are first-time students, some have transferred from junior colleges, some have financial or housing concerns, and many just need to talk about things their kids are doing.

“When you have kids, it is hard to find a social group on a campus,” Popejoy said.

The group tries to do several social activities, such as Mom’s Night Out which is usually scheduled during Caf‚ Au Lait at the Maintenance Shop. Free child care is provided during the event from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Veterinary Medicine Child Care Center. The activity is sponsored by the Sloss House Women’s Center.

The group also tries to do children’s activities at least once a month. Past activities have included miniature golf, sledding and movie nights for children from two to 16 years old.

These events allow the single-parent students to get together, Popejoy said, while giving them a chance to meet the kids they hear so much about in the meetings.

Popejoy said she hopes single parents on campus will use her as a resource and said everyone is welcome to join group discussions on Mondays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Memorial Union.

“I learn more from them, then the students learn from me,” she said. “I admire single parents and all they are able to do.”