The Auburn family has a new meaning for two students at Auburn University.
Third generation Auburn student Frances Pittman and her husband Andrew Pittman are redefining the definition of the Auburn Family.
Frances, an undergraduate in foreign language education and her husband Andrew, who has earned his bachelor’s degree in fitness, conditioning and performance and is currently earning his second degree in science education, are expecting their second daughter in the next three months.
The couple married two years ago and continued their education after their first daughter, Corinne Pittman, was born.
Paige Conway, mother of Frances said, “I don’t know how they did it. I really don’t.”
Frances wakes up around 5:30 a.m. and drives to her internship where she spends her day teaching her students to speak Spanish and doesn’t return until around 4:00 p.m. Meanwhile, her husband Andrew works in lawn service between classes and watching their daughter.
The Pittman’s receive help from Frances’s sister, Lilli Conway, sophomore in mechanical engineering.
Every week, Frances creates a schedule for the three of them that designates the times each person will watch Corinne, so they can all successfully earn their degrees.
Corinne, whose favorite toy is a stuffed animal named Aubie or in her words, “Bobbie” is the definition of a born and raised Auburn fan.
According to the family, her parents bring her into the student section of Jordan-Hare stadium where she sleeps through the excitement of Auburn football, she learned to crawl in the Quad Center while her parents studied for their respective classes and you may see her riding through campus in her stroller or on her father’s shoulders.
“You should see us break some necks, it’s hilarious,” Lillia said.
Most people observe them with a curious eye while they walk through campus, but it doesn’t bother them.
“We know it’s different to walk through campus with an infant,” Frances said. “Sometimes people will want to come up and look at her and we usually let them. A baby on campus is a bit of an oddity.”
The couple never mention their child or pregnancy to professors unless it comes up in conversation, Andrew said.
“There’s really no need,” Andrew said. “We know what our course requirements are and we know that we need to meet them. We don’t need special treatment.”
The Pittman’s receive a great amount of support from their families. Frances was even offered an opportunity to study abroad in Madrid last summer.
The couple has not run into any major problem with having a baby as undergraduate students, Frances said. But, they have run into a few problems on campus.
“Finding somewhere to nurse was a disaster,” Frances said. “It’s also difficult to find an accessible entrance.” The couple noted that they know there is always a wheelchair accessible entrance.
“There are no baby-changing stations in the male bathrooms,” Andrew said.
His wife agreed that it is difficult to find a sanitary spot to change Corinne’s diaper on campus. They have noticed that the only places with baby-changing stations are spots that have a lot of traffic during game days, such as Haley Center.
The Pittman family embodies perseverance and never let their growing family stop them from pursuing their education. When Frances graduates in December, they hope to stay in the Opelika area and plant their roots for their family to grow.
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