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If you’ve wondered about those cloud-covered, space-age looking pods that have popped up in a couple of locations across campus recently, you’re not alone. Discreetly positioned in the lobbies of Garrison Hall and the Physical Science Complex are two lactation pods, giving parents a private space for feeding their young children or pumping breast milk.

Jerrica Kenison, a management assistant at Â鶹´«Ã½AV, and a group of employees launched the Lactation Space Planning Initiative in 2024 with a goal to evaluate and address the needs for additional lactation spaces across campus locations. Through research, surveys and other information collection methods, their recommendations call on industry standards and best practices, with an aim to ensure compliance with federal and state laws regarding lactation accommodations and policies. 

“As a new mother and member of our campus community, I felt a deep personal and professional responsibility to help create more supportive environments for all,” Kenison said.. “I’m incredibly grateful for the unwavering support from the university, particularly President Wagner and Stacey Gibson, AVP for Institutional Engagement, whose commitment to compassionate leadership has truly made this work possible.”

According to the National Institutes for Health (NIH), colleges and universities should have six parent spaces per every 1,000 female students, and that recommendation does not include employees. Kenison has led the initiative to install the two new pods, and those involved with the initiative are developing a comprehensive five-year plan for additional pods and parent rooms at all of ISU’s campus locations. 

“With ISU’s high percentage of female employees and the NIH recommendation for students, we should have 60 parent spaces total,” Kenison said. “We currently have six in Pocatello, two in Idaho Falls, two in Twin Falls, one in Meridian, and five in Anchorage.”

The new lactation pods and existing parent rooms are maintained by ISU custodial staff.

Those wishing to access the lactation pods can download an app called Mamava (Breastfeed on the go) and request an access code. If you don’t have a smartphone, Public Safety will be able to grant access for after-hours use. 

“Moving forward, we are working to include a parent room or rooms in every newly constructed building, as part of the university’s space planning process,” Kenison said. 

The five-year plan includes adding a pod at the Meridian campus and permanent parent rooms in Reed Gym, the Eames Complex and the Stephens Performing Arts Center, along with improved wayfinding signage and the addition of the rooms on the campus map.

Kenison and the committee's efforts were recognized by the Idaho Breastfeeding Coalition. They received the 2025 Exemplary Professional Leadership Award to "acknowledge the importance of organizations in fulfilling their mission to protect, support, and promote breastfeeding as the biological norm for a healthier Idaho. This annual award recognizes a team of professionals who have shown exceptional dedication, creativity, and exemplary leadership in facilitating environments where barriers to breastfeeding are addressed within their communities."

For more information and to view all available parent rooms, visit isu.edu/title-ix/parent-rooms.