Lactation Rooms

Your right to express milk at work is protected by the Labor Law § 206-C, which requires employers to allow working women to use unpaid break time or paid meal time to nurse their babies or express milk for up to three years after the birth of their child. In addition, employers are required to provide a reasonable space where an employee can express milk in privacy. The legislation also prohibits employers from discriminating against an employee who exercises this right.

Columbia University is committed to ensuring that the needs of lactating women are met. Some nursing mothers may be able to arrange office sharing with their chair, dean, or supervisor to provide private space for expressing milk. In addition, Columbia University provides centrally located lactation rooms for the use of faculty, staff and students on the Morningside campus. These rooms provide nursing women with a private, clean space to pump breast milk for their baby while they are at work. However, they are not recommended for use as nursing rooms.  See below for details and contact information.

Site	Location	Contact for Access
Business School (Uris)	Second floor; Room 241	Contact Janet Horan, Senior Associate Dean, for access, at jih6@columbia.edu
Housing (Carman Hall)	First floor; Room 111-ML	Call (212) 854-2779 for assistance or email housing@columbia.edu
Law School (Jerome Greene Hall)	Third floor	Contact the School of Law Office of Student Services for access.
School of Engineering & Applied Sciences (Mudd)	Sixth floor	Contact Fredrik Palm, Assistant Dean for Diversity and Faculty Development, for access, at fred.palm@columbia.edu.
School of Social Work	Third floor; Room 308	Contact Todd Bristol, Assistant Dean, for access, at tmb19@columbia.edu.
Studebaker	Fourth floor - NE corner; Room 488	Contact Ching Gonzalez, Manager of HR Operations, for access, at cg297@columbia.edu.
Medical Center	Under Construction	Contact Jeanine D'Armiento, Associate Professor of Medicine at NYPH/CUMC, for access, at jmd12@columbia.edu.
Lamont Doherty	Under Construction	Contact the Office of Work/Life at worklife@columbia.edu.