College Students Demand Free Tampons

[Lang Syne Boardie]

Sure why should a poor bitch like me get to go to college?  Wow

 

I went to a state school.  It wasn't going to get cheaper than that. 

 

I was too poor for college right out of high school. I could have got academic scholarships but the living expenses were more than I could handle on my own, and I didn't have parental support (I was an independent at 17). I went to vocational school, instead, and worked as a cashier and housekeeper to support myself while doing so. I got more than a little hungry and went without a lot of things that most people call necessity (like health care), so I could make rent and transportation, but after I graduated I had a job that earned me a better apartment and a used car.

 

The vast majority of my vocational diploma class were in the same situation -- working to support themselves while getting that diploma/certification/credential. Nobody whined. We were proud of what we were learning, and thankful for the opportunity at a price we could afford as independent, uneducated young people. Those who were able to pass the class all got jobs immediately after graduation through the school's internship program.

 

While I worked as a cashier and housekeeper, some of my coworkers were doing those jobs full-time because they couldn't afford college and had credit that was too damaged to get the very small loan that I had used for my vocational school. They survived on their pay, as adults who had few options. This is what people do when they can't afford college or training.

 

So out here in the real world, where some of us who were homeless at 17 do very much know what it's like, until this generation none of us said, "Why isn't somebody providing for me?" We knew if nobody was going to pay our way, we'd have to make our own way and it usually wouldn't be college. It would be skilled labor, vocational school, the military...the concept still rings true for millions who are no better or worse than me.

 

Now, some things have changed. In the 80s and 90s in a midwestern city, I could find full-time hours in retail and domestic services. People can't always even find those jobs now, in this same midwestern city. And in the 80s and 90s, a person who was willing to live very poor COULD survive on that level of income. Everything costs more now. And nobody's working their way through college (although I've recently researched vocational school and the poor people can still do that here). The majority of students are not eligible for the military due to health condition or criminal record.

 

I think the real topics are not about free tampons and free birth control, because if you can't afford those things you can't afford the rest of your necessary daily life, either, so you cannot afford college. You'll have to find another way to gain some more earning power, and support yourself while you do it like most of the planet. And as long as you think you're too good for that struggle, you'll have a harder time succeeding.

 

I think the real topics are a living minimum wage and free college for everybody, and either concept is far easier to discuss than free toiletries because there is sense and merit possible on both sides of the arguments.

Edited March 16, 2016 by Tibbie Dunbar

[FaithManor]

Oh well I got super duper lucky. Combination of bringing some with me, a boyfriend who gave me a few bucks here or there, AND getting a free Depo Shot at a free woman's clinic which made me have periods very infrequently. But guess what? People want to shut those places down too because they get their panties in a twist because some of those places sometimes perform abortions.

Sparkly, I am totally against the attacks on clincs that provide these services.

 

For what it is worth, I am the gal in charge of personal care outreach at church. I have numerous low income ladies from our community who receive personal care gift bags each month which includes a large box of tampons or bag of pads, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, disposable razors, etc. I have a bank of bandaids, combs, brushes, ponytail holders, and basic first aid items that I can dispense as well and regularly do. I again, am not heartless. I just think that community health clinics and charitable institutions are a better way to handle this than requiring it from colleges. I feel the same about condoms and have a stash of those that discreetly make their way to the hands of those that need them.

[Murphy101]

The idea that if you are too poor to afford menstrual products you are comfortable with, you shouldn't get a college education.

 

 

I don't even know what to say.

 

Just wow.

Actually that's not what I said.

 

I said if THAT college is so expensive that they can't buy pads and go there, then that's not the college for them. You know. Because pads are up there wi food. If it is a college they can't afford to eat and attend, it is also not the college for them.

 

I also noted there are literally thousands of colleges to choose from, most of which even at the crazy levels they are now, they can still buy a box of pads a month and attend.

 

This isn't rocket science.

 

If someone does the math on attending a college and realize, "It will literally take every penny I have to the point that I won't even have $7 bucks a month for pads even if I cut out every single other expense I possibly can." Then they probably should not choose that college.

Edited March 16, 2016 by Murphy101

[SparklyUnicorn]

No no no,..seriously?  I could have used that money to get to another college?  Where?  When?  How?  I went to the lowest cost Uni in the state.  I earned money to pay for basic...rock bottom basic...necessities.  Not enough to go somewhere out of state.  And if you go to the more affordable state U's outside of the state you live they charge you more.

You have to understand, I had no help.  Nobody explained to me how this worked.  There was nobody to ask.  I filled out the forms myself, etc.  I sometimes think I managed on sheer dumb luck alone. 

 

But yes the line about helping people figure out college...definitely.  I'm pretty sure my guidance counselor assumed I wasn't going because of money. 

 

See at this point I know more and I am in a position to help my kid.  AND I want to help my kid.  My parents were limited and basically I dunno...didn't want to help me.  But to be fair they were going through some tough times with their illnesses AND my sister was in and out hospitals.  I try to be understanding and figure they just didn't know or something, but it's not easy to start out without some sort of support even if the only support there is is encouragement and an attitude that it can be done. 

 

 

You make no sense.

First you say you worked your butt off to save money and the college took it all.

You could just as easily used that money to transport yourself to another college. Heck. Another coast.

But you didn't.

It does sound like a lot of your problems were from simple ignorance of your options. I get it. Dh and I didn't exactly have guiding fonts of parental inspiration either.

Addressing THAT deficiency in attaining college would do a lot more for young poor people than free tampons and birth control.

There are ways of shifting money so that the college doesn't get it all, or at least not in one fell swoop. But few students are told anything beyond to fill out the FAFSA.

There are ways of evaluating ALL that a college and its locality have to offer to determine if it will best meet the students living needs.

There are hard conversations about what's worth sacrificing for and what isn't and what no amount of sacrificing is going to accomplish. Conversations where you look at your kid straight on and tell them, that is a dream come true college. But it is not the college for your dreams bc it just isn't going to meet your criteria for success to happen. So let's find one that will.

I'm sorry you didn't have someone to help you and I completely agree that the shooting in the dark without guidance is probably THE biggest reason those from poverty drop out of college.

But no amount of free tampons is going to fix that.

 

[sarasue7272]

"When we menstruate, however unexpectedly, we should not feel fear in the pits of our stomachs because of your lack of foresight."

Who's lack of foresight?! She is referring to the college, but of course it is her own that leaves her stranded Across campus from her tampons. This comment is ridiculous and is total turnoff.

I think menstrual supplies and diapers should be included in wic/food stamps. Making supplies more accessible to low income women is a good idea, but how is that the business of a university?

No one has said women too poor to afford supplies shouldn't go to college.

[SparklyUnicorn]

Actually that's not what I said.

 

I said if THAT college is so expensive that they can't buy pads and go there, then that's not the college for them. You know. Because pads are up there wi food. If it is a college they can't afford to eat and attend, it is also not the colleg for them.

 

I also noted there are literally thousands of colleges to choose from, most of which even at the crazy elevens they are now, they can still buy a box of pads a month and attend.

 

This isn't rocket science.

 

If someone does the math on attending a college and realize, "It will literally take every penny I have to the point that I won't even have $7 bucks a month for pads even if I cut out every single other expense I possibly can." Then they probably should not choose that college.

 

There aren't always thousands of choices because of other factors that you are just not considering.  How would I get to a college in another state?  Let's say I saved up enough to go there.  How do I get back?  How do I get around once I'm there?  How do I manage that when I had never been outside the city I was born in?  I literally had no idea how to do that. 

[CAMom]

I get it and I am not heartless, but if colleges do this what is next? Shampoo, conditioner, deodorant,and again everyone else on campus pays for it. As a parent who will have two in college next year who has too much income to get financial aid and not enough income to write two checks for $25,000 each, I am tired of the constant tuition/room and board hikes that get passed on to the crowd whose kids do not get financial assistance. A much better plan, one I am very much in favor of, is for colleges to ask for help from local women's groups to provide this service as a charitable contribution to the women on campus or for sororities to fundraise for these needs.

 

This is exactly what I was thinking. Why shouldn't the college provide all toiletries? Why just pads and tampons?

 

They won't be "free." I have two kids in college (thankfully, one of them is graduating this June!  :hurray: ) and I can't afford another dime for them. We always told them that we would pay for their bachelor's degree so they would not have to take on any debt. We're trying to do it without taking on any debt of our own either. So far we've been able to do that. I can't afford to subsidize anything more.

 

On the argument of toilet paper in public restrooms-that's not "free" either. Businesses that provide public restrooms include the cost of supplies in overhead. So, we pay for that in the cost of goods.

 

The article mentioned that providing feminine products would also help the homeless community because homeless women could use those bathrooms and find those products. I can't afford to have our tuition raised to supply the general public. I will gladly make donations as I am able but it is really, really tight right now.

 

At this point, this is not something I could get behind.

Edited March 16, 2016 by CAMom

[SparklyUnicorn]

Oh well that and I have very bad eyesight.  Do you think anyone added in "needs to buy glasses or contacts" into my list of absolute dire must haves that factor into my ability to pay for college?  And there wasn't a Zenni Optical in those days. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

It's possible to wash your hair without soap.  Not fun, not ideal, but not like walking around with bloody pants. 

[Murphy101]

No no no,..seriously? I could have used that money to get to another college? Where? When? How? I went to the lowest cost Uni in the state. I earned money to pay for basic...rock bottom basic...necessities. Not enough to go somewhere out of state. And if you go to the more affordable state U's outside of the state you live they charge you more.

 

You have to understand, I had no help. Nobody explained to me how this worked. There was nobody to ask. I filled out the forms myself, etc. I sometimes think I managed on sheer dumb luck alone.

 

But yes the line about helping people figure out college...definitely. I'm pretty sure my guidance counselor assumed I wasn't going because of money.

 

See at this point I know more and I am in a position to help my kid. AND I want to help my kid. My parents were limited and basically I dunno...didn't want to help me. But to be fair they were going through some tough times with their illnesses AND my sister was in and out hospitals. I try to be understanding and figure they just didn't know or something, but it's not easy to start out without some sort of support even if the only support there is is encouragement and an attitude that it can be done.

Omg. You yourself said you switched to another college so you could work and attend!!!

 

Why didn't you start with that college?!

 

Obviously, yes, you had other college options. At least two that you attended!

 

And no, out of state colleges are not always more expensive. Sometimes it can even be cheaper. And sometimes the colleges might be nearly the same cost, but one allows more chances to supplement income, which could make it a better financial choice.

 

Like Tibbie notes, It's not a new thing and yes, we do know exactly how it can be.

[SparklyUnicorn]

We now live in an area with decent public transportation.  WOW  It is so magical for my kid.  He has so many options that if there is any "problem" it's just making up his mind.  I paid for one class for him at the CC (and their rates are so good). and that includes a bus pass that can be used to go anywhere!  Things will be so much easier for him and that's such a huge relief to me.

 

 

[goldberry]

I think menstrual supplies and diapers should be included in wic/food stamps. 

 

They're not?  Wow.

[SparklyUnicorn]

Omg. You yourself said you switched to another college so you could work and attend!!!

 

Why didn't you start with that college?!

 

Obviously, yes, you had other college options. At least two that you attended!

 

And no, out of state colleges are not always more expensive. Sometimes it can even be cheaper. And sometimes the colleges might be nearly the same cost, but one allows more chances to supplement income, which could make it a better financial choice.

 

Like Tibbie notes, It's not a new thing and yes, we do know exactly how it can be.

 

I moved back home.  I lived at home.  Which was hell, but I endured the HELL so that I could stay in school.  I bummed rides.  My boyfriend gave me more rides than anyone.  I look back and think what a jerk he was, but actually he is probably the reason I managed. 

 

My thinking with going away to college was that it would be less expensive to live there than to figure out transportation.  The only transportation option would have been a car.  I could not afford a car.  And honestly, I wanted to be away from my parents.  Even when I went there, my mother called me at 3 in the morning every day to ask me why I left her.  My room mates LOVED me.  At the time no cell phones.  No phones in the room.  Payphone out in the hall. 

 

But it's hard to get to a college out of state if you don't have money.  At least within the state I could beg friends for a ride. 

 

I have not told you anything contradictory here.  Confusing and difficult to understand maybe because the issues were complex. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

In terms of switch...this was a state university that had 4 campuses.  They were part of the same system. 

Edited March 16, 2016 by SparklyUnicorn

[goldberry]

Omg. You yourself said you switched to another college so you could work and attend!!!

 

Why didn't you start with that college?!

 

Obviously, yes, you had other college options. At least two that you attended!

 

And no, out of state colleges are not always more expensive. Sometimes it can even be cheaper. And sometimes the colleges might be nearly the same cost, but one allows more chances to supplement income, which could make it a better financial choice.

 

Like Tibbie notes, It's not a new thing and yes, we do know exactly how it can be.

 

Are you really trying to criticize judgments made by an 18 yo with no parental support or previous experience?  It sounds like it, but maybe not?

 

I consider myself fairly intelligent and educated, and yet I had to make a post on the high school board about out of state college and how anyone affords them.  I can barely navigate these waters as a 49 yo, I cannot imagine trying as an 18 year old just out of high school.

[Murphy101]

There aren't always thousands of choices because of other factors that you are just not considering. How would I get to a college in another state? Let's say I saved up enough to go there. How do I get back? How do I get around once I'm there? How do I manage that when I had never been outside the city I was born in? I literally had no idea how to do that.

*smh*

 

Good heavens woman.

 

You do your research as best you can, you show up with your one way ticket and you figure it out bc figuring it out is the only damn choice you have. Same as many an American before you had to do, many of which came from other countries with far less knowledge and no certainty of what their futures would be.

 

For heaven's sake. It might have been a bigger city in a different state, not sending you off to colonize the new world. Chances are good you'd have figured out how to survive.

[PinkyandtheBrains.]

then you weren't that poor

 

Yep.

[SparklyUnicorn]

Are you really trying to criticize judgments made by an 18 yo with no parental support or previous experience?  It sounds like it, but maybe not?

 

I consider myself fairly intelligent and educated, and yet I had to make a post on the high school board about out of state college and how anyone affords them.  I can barely navigate these waters as a 49 yo, I cannot imagine trying as an 18 year old just out of high school.

 

Yeah and nobody had gone to college in my family.  My mother didn't graduate high school.  Neither did my sister.  My dad did graduate high school.  He wanted to go to college.  He went for one semester, but his parents refused to give over tax forms so he couldn't apply for aid.  He was so poor he stole his books.  Well that didn't last long because he just couldn't figure out how to pay to go there.  And this was back in the day where it wasn't nearly as relatively expensive as it was when I went.

 

I mean sure now I can look back and think of all the things I could have done differently.  But I'm 41 and I've done a lot of things in my life and learned a lot of things I did not know. 

[goldberry]

You do your research as best you can, you show up with your one way ticket and you figure it out bc figuring it out is the only damn choice you have. Same as many an American before you had to do, many of which came from other countries with far less knowledge and no certainty of what their futures would be.

 

 

And then later when she couldn't afford tampons, you would be telling her why was she even at a college that she couldn't afford.

Edited March 16, 2016 by goldberry

[ChocolateReignRemix]

They're not?  Wow.

 

They are not.  No non-food products can be purchased with WIC/EBT.

[SparklyUnicorn]

*smh*

 

Good heavens woman.

 

You do your research as best you can, you show up with your one way ticket and you figure it out bc figuring it out is the only damn choice you have. Same as many an American before you had to do, many of which came from other countries with far less knowledge and no certainty of what their futures would be.

 

For heaven's sake. It might have been a bigger city in a different state, not sending you off to colonize the new world. Chances are good you'd have figured out how to survive.

 

sure maybe I could have gotten a job in porn or prostitution

 

You are so full of it.  Not everyone is that nuts.

[Murphy101]

Are you really trying to criticize judgments made by an 18 yo with no parental support or previous experience? It sounds like it, but maybe not?

 

I consider myself fairly intelligent and educated, and yet I had to make a post on the high school board about out of state college and how anyone affords them. I can barely navigate these waters as a 49 yo, I cannot imagine trying as an 18 year old just out of high school.

Of course I am. Seeing what could have actually helped requires critical thinking upon what was wrong. I don't judge HER. I get it. I think Tibbie does too. We both came from not supportive environments,

 

Which was the entire premise of what I was saying.

 

The problem isn't that these people need tampons.

 

It's that they need, like sparkly needed, a lot more help in making these judgements and they didn't get it, which led to them making costly errors in judgement. And hey, sure that's going to also happen bc they are young in general and that's part of adult learning.

 

It is indeed a convoluted system that I think purposely takes advantage of the poor bc I agree with you, I'm 42 and have literally spent years researching and guiding my kids through this and it is still very nuanced to manage navigating and we've made a few costly errors too.

 

I'm arguing we need to fix THAT and leave folks to buying their own personal needs.

[lulalu]

This is an area that should be addressed more. Those that are in poverty know the struggle. These things arent often found in food pantries (at least not my area) or food stamps or wic. Hard to find when desperate.

 

When youve had to use old shirts to make rags then the struggle is real! As soon as I could afford nice cloth pads I got them so I wouod never run out.

[SparklyUnicorn]

And then later when she couldn't afford tampons, you would be telling her why was she even at a college that she couldn't afford.

 

Yes I've already been told this.  I could barely afford tampons, but somehow I was to buy a one way ticket and plop my skinny ass in some strange city where I could make all my dreams come true and "figure it out".

 

Bullshi*

 

Seriously this is just flooring me. 

 

Again, I don't care if they give out free tampons.  It's not about the tampons.  It's about how god damn hard it is for some people to get going in life.  Especially without any support of any kind.

[Murphy101]

They are not. No non-food products can be purchased with WIC/EBT.

No they aren't. I would be for it being added.

 

But also, WIC and EBT are considered assisting, not full need provision.

 

For example, you get roughly enough formula for 2 weeks every month.

 

So I bet it still wouldn't be enough for a one month supply.

[Seasider]

I get it and I am not heartless, but if colleges do this what is next? Shampoo, conditioner, deodorant,and again everyone else on campus pays for it. As a parent who will have two in college next year who has too much income to get financial aid and not enough income to write two checks for $25,000 each, I am tired of the constant tuition/room and board hikes that get passed on to the crowd whose kids do not get financial assistance. A much better plan, one I am very much in favor of, is for colleges to ask for help from local women's groups to provide this service as a charitable contribution to the women on campus or for sororities to fundraise for these needs.

Amen.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I think i need to go buy a lot of tampons and make a big donation somewhere.

 

Really these are the sorts of things a lot of people don't realize is a burden sometimes.  And it's all a Catch 22.  You can't get a job without money.  You can't get money without a job.  You can't get transportation without a job.  You can't get a job without transportation.  It would have been 100,000 times easier had I lived in a place with some basic public transportation, but I didn't exactly choose where I was born and raised. 

 

And I had jobs since I was 12.  Paper routes, babysitting, a store, fast food, etc.  All wherever I could manage to walk.  So why didn't I have more money?  Because there wasn't much left to save when I had to pay for my own necessities. 

[Lang Syne Boardie]

My cousin's kids are in a public high school. She told me recently that they spend hours, literally, on guidance events through all four years of high school. They learn how grades and test scores can predict career possibilities, the different college and career paths, the different ways to pay for what you need...the model is this massive lab in which the student "tries out" different ideas and sees what could go wrong. The things going wrong can be anything from trouble with living expenses or arrangements to having your career field decimated for political reasons right before you graduate. These particular students are going to know the score.

 

In comparison, I had one conversation with my guidance counselor in the 9th grade. I said, "Would you please tell me what I have to do to exit this establishment respectably but as soon as possible?" She looked at my file and asked me if there was anything academic at all that I liked, and did I want to go to college? I said I liked English, so she set me up with honors classes and journalism which I loved. I said I didn't want to go to college, I wanted to get out of high school in three years because I was pretty sure I wouldn't have a home by that point and I needed to be able to work. She figured out the credits and I made it happen. I never saw her again.

 

If I had gone to my cousin's kids' school, I would have known SO much more about my options. Also, it's possible that in 2016 a guidance counselor would have invited CPS to get to the bottom of why I thought I would run out of childhood before I could finish high school.

[ktgrok]

I think we can make a distinction here as well, between free tampons/pads in public restrooms, that you use when you are out and about and don't have one on you, and boxes of high end products of your choice delivered to your dorm room. (although my dorm room did have toilet paper provided, now that I think about it....)

 

I think the middle ground described where there were boxes of feminine products averrable at the school health center for those that can't afford to buy any, as well as free ones in a dispenser in the restroom, makes sense. Most of the time, if you CAN afford your own pads/tampons you would of course buy your own. No one wants to hike over to the health center, hat in hand, and ask for whatever free product they happen to have stocked. Same with the dispensers in the public restrooms. I HAVE seen free ones (Ikea maybe?) and still, I use my own because I have a brand preference an because I don't want to stand there and deal with getting one out of the dispenser if I don't have to. But if I needed it, I'd do it. 

 

I think we get crazy in these discussions, and "go nuclear" as SWB says. Being able to get a free tampon because you forgot yours and you don't have cash on you (who does these days?) and you got your period a week early and you are stuck on campus for the next 4 hours and wore white pants, is not going to turn anyone into an entitled brat who runs the country into the ground. Neither is it going to ruin our country or double tuition if a woman who is on scholarship (that your tuition already pays for) ducks into the health services building on campus and quietly asks for a box of pads. 

 

(still haven't figured out how this related to condoms though. That was a dumb argument.)

[Murphy101]

Yeah. My "guidance" counselor told me if I hated our high school (which I did intensely despite loving learning) then I'd hate college and I was young enough to beleive her. So I didn't even apply. Not that it mattered. Hell would have frozen before me dad would have signed financial aid papers and in this stupid country that means you can't go to college until you either get married or turn 24.

 

For what it's worth, most of my few college professors that I have had when I've taken a class here or there over the years were nothing like high school. Thank goodness.

[SparklyUnicorn]

My cousin's kids are in a public high school. She told me recently that they spend hours, literally, on guidance events through all four years of high school. They learn how grades and test scores can predict career possibilities, the different college and career paths, the different ways to pay for what you need...the model is this massive lab in which the student "tries out" different ideas and sees what could go wrong. The things going wrong can be anything from trouble with living expenses or arrangements to having your career field decimated for political reasons right before you graduate. These particular students are going to know the score.

 

In comparison, I had one conversation with my guidance counselor in the 9th grade. I said, "Would you please tell me what I have to do to exit this establishment respectably but as soon as possible?" She looked at my file and asked me if there was anything academic at all that I liked, and did I want to go to college? I said I liked English, so she set me up with honors classes and journalism which I loved. I said I didn't want to go to college, I wanted to get out of high school in three years because I was pretty sure I wouldn't have a home by that point and I needed to be able to work. She figured out the credits and I made it happen. I never saw her again.

 

If I had gone to my cousin's kids' school, I would have known SO much more about my options. Also, it's possible that in 2016 a guidance counselor would have invited CPS to get to the bottom of why I thought I would run out of childhood before I could finish high school.

 

When I went they had information nights.  They sent the info to the parents.  My parents tossed it in the trash.  They never went.  Heck I would have gone had I had transportation there.  My school was very far away. 

 

It would have been helpful to have that info. 

[goldberry]

 

It is indeed a convoluted system that I think purposely takes advantage of the poor bc I agree with you, I'm 42 and have literally spent years researching and guiding my kids through this and it is still very nuanced to manage navigating and we've made a few costly errors too.

 

 

 

 

That I agree with.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I think we can make a distinction here as well, between free tampons/pads in public restrooms, that you use when you are out and about and don't have one on you, and boxes of high end products of your choice delivered to your dorm room. (although my dorm room did have toilet paper provided, now that I think about it....)

 

I think the middle ground described where there were boxes of feminine products averrable at the school health center for those that can't afford to buy any, as well as free ones in a dispenser in the restroom, makes sense. Most of the time, if you CAN afford your own pads/tampons you would of course buy your own. No one wants to hike over to the health center, hat in hand, and ask for whatever free product they happen to have stocked. Same with the dispensers in the public restrooms. I HAVE seen free ones (Ikea maybe?) and still, I use my own because I have a brand preference an because I don't want to stand there and deal with getting one out of the dispenser if I don't have to. But if I needed it, I'd do it. 

 

I think we get crazy in these discussions, and "go nuclear" as SWB says. Being able to get a free tampon because you forgot yours and you don't have cash on you (who does these days?) and you got your period a week early and you are stuck on campus for the next 4 hours and wore white pants, is not going to turn anyone into an entitled brat who runs the country into the ground. Neither is it going to ruin our country or double tuition if a woman who is on scholarship (that your tuition already pays for) ducks into the health services building on campus and quietly asks for a box of pads. 

 

(still haven't figured out how this related to condoms though. That was a dumb argument.)

 

Some of the comments are highly insensitive.  I should know better than to even read these threads. 

 

I once had a job that had amazing perks.  They had free everything.  Free coffee, free aspirin, free tampons, etc. etc.  LOL  Once they even gave out free seeds to plant in a garden. 

[Lang Syne Boardie]

Ktgrok, I would agree that somebody's (the school, local women's groups, I don't know) providing baskets or dispensers in the restrooms would not affect the state of the nation. As you say, those who can afford what they prefer are going to do that, even in the face of freebies, and the majority are already calculating for this expense when they determine whether they can afford their college situation. I just can't imagine that everyone would want the free stuff, ever.

 

If I knew of an individual young woman who was having a hard time with this while in college, I wouldn't tell her that she shouldn't be there b/c she can't afford it, I would just help her get what she needs. The conversation about what you can manage should happen before the loans are taken out. Once college has become her best chance toward upward mobility, it's more to the point if she can stay there somehow. It's the tone of the piece that's off-putting. It does sound entitled to me. But I don't see everyone in need as suffering from entitlement, and I do believe in helping.

[SparklyUnicorn]

Yeah. My "guidance" counselor told me if I hated our high school (which I did intensely despite loving learning) then I'd hate college and I was young enough to beleive her. So I didn't even apply. Not that it mattered. Hell would have frozen before me dad would have signed financial aid papers and in this stupid country that means you can't go to college until you either get married or turn 24.

 

For what it's worth, most of my few college professors that I have had when I've taken a class here or there over the years were nothing like high school. Thank goodness.

 

That was the one thing my dad did do for me.  He gave me the income info.  His father had refused so he didn't get to go.  He probably is still bitter about that.  But my dad still very much had the mindset of this being supposedly super highly personal information. 

I talk to my kids about money a lot.  I tell them what stuff costs.  I answer their questions.  They know our income.  This is not info that is so personal I believe we should hide it from our kids. 

 

My oldest is 14 and I'm already talking affording college strategies.  He will not go into this having no clue. 

[goldberry]

So can we move on now to the real issue?

 

Are they flushing the tampons???

[FaithManor]

Really this issue is not one of college. In general, if one cannot afford menstrual products while at college it is difficult for most of those students to afford them when not in college. This is an issue of community services not one of college services, and I agree that community services should be better, period. There should be help with personal care issues through the community.

 

It is also part of a bigger discussion of the fact that tuition/fees/room/board has outpaced wages by 415% in the last two decades but a larger and larger segment of taxpayers qualify for ZERO financial aid so a whole bunch of us whose kids didn't get the rare full ride scholarship are maxing ourselves out and killing ourselves to pay college bills. We aren't looking for it to get any more expensive for any reason. This is a huge national issue which means we can expect our bumbling government to do, oh I don't know, pretty much nothing. Sigh....

 

Outpaced wages by 415% and has become the default "proof of high school skill" for employment! The tampon issue is just a small symptom of a larger problem that needs to be fixed.

[SparklyUnicorn]

Is who flushing what tampons?

 

 

[SparklyUnicorn]

Really this issue is not one of college. In general, if one cannot afford menstrual products while at college it is difficult for most of those students to afford them when not in college. This is an issue of community services not one of college services, and I agree that community services should be better, period. There should be help with personal care issues through the community.

 

It is also part of a bigger discussion of the fact that tuition/fees/room/board has outpaced wages by 415% in the last two decades but a larger and larger segment of taxpayers qualify for ZERO financial aid so a whole bunch of us whose kids didn't get the rare full ride scholarship are maxing ourselves out and killing ourselves to pay college bills. We aren't looking for it to get any more expensive for any reason. This is a huge national issue which means we can expect our bumbling government to do, oh I don't know, pretty much nothing. Sigh....

 

Outpaced wages by 415% and has become the default "proof of high school skill" for employment! The tampon issue is just a small symptom of a larger problem that needs to be fixed.

 

Yes exactly.  I don't care about the tampons, but I just know that these things can be an issue for some people.  Anyone who denies that simply does not know or has never been in that situation.  That doesn't mean the problem does not exist. 

 

I sometimes have worries and anxiety about the dumbest things.  Probably remnants from stuff I worried about in the past.  I thought if I suddenly found myself homeless, how would I buy pads?  TMI, but I wear pads for more than just my period.  It's a necessity that I wear them.  It would be horrible to have to go without them.  I bet a lot of people don't think about this.  We know people go without food.  But at least I would know of several places to go for food assistance.  I wouldn't have a clue where to go for something like pads.  Or even something like eye glasses. 

[Murphy101]

Ktgrok, I would agree that somebody's (the school, local women's groups, I don't know) providing baskets or dispensers in the restrooms would not affect the state of the nation. As you say, those who can afford what they prefer are going to do that, even in the face of freebies, and the majority are already calculating for this expense when they determine whether they can afford their college situation. I just can't imagine that everyone would want the free stuff, ever.

 

If I knew of an individual young woman who was having a hard time with this while in college, I wouldn't tell her that she shouldn't be there b/c she can't afford it, I would just help her get what she needs. The conversation about what you can manage should happen before the loans are taken out. Once college has become her best chance toward upward mobility, it's more to the point if she can stay there somehow. It's the tone of the piece that's off-putting. It does sound entitled to me. But I don't see everyone in need as suffering from entitlement, and I do believe in helping.

Again. I'm not saying poor people shouldn't attend college at all.

 

But yes, if my daughter was telling me she couldn't even afford $7 box of pads a month, I'd be sitting her down and discussing the financial reality of her being able to finish a degree at that place.

 

Not because I don't think she should go to college, but because I DO think she should and if she literally can't eat or buy pads, that's just not going to be a situation that works for very long and I don't want her to do without food or pads or college so we are going to have to work out something.

 

I have no idea why posters can't comprehend what I'm saying here. I'm not feeling my best so maybe I'm just not clear.

 

Yes of course if I can just give her the money or send a monthly care package, then I will be glad to do so.

 

But if I can't do that?

 

Then yes, we are going to have to sit down and have a hard talk about whether *that* college is going to work for her or work for her at *that* time.

 

If anyone comes up with an ethical solution to poverty before then, that'd be great, but in the mean time, this is just the reality of how life decisions are made with low incomes.

[Lady Florida.]

OK I come from a poor family.  There were 6 kids.  When I was in undergrad, both of my parents and 4 of their children were in college.  

 

 

 

then you weren't that poor

 

Especially if four out of six family members, including the adults, were in college. Did all four of you get a 100% free ride? Tuition, books, fees, everything?

 

Yes? Then why the big concern about providing free tampons. You got a lot for free.

 

No? Then you weren't that poor.

[goldberry]

Is who flushing what tampons?

 

There was a very heated thread not long ago about whether or not you should flush tampons, and whether people who flushed were following the directions or ruining the planet.  A thread about tampons went on 10 pages or something!

[ktgrok]

Again. I'm not saying poor people shouldn't attend college at all.

 

But yes, if my daughter was telling me she couldn't even afford $7 box of pads a month, I'd be sitting her down and discussing the financial reality of her being able to finish a degree at that place.

 

 

 

 

I was thinking more of it being a temporary thing for most people. Like I was doing fine, but it's the end of the semester, I've run out of money because I spent extra on some unexpected expense (cough medicine, whatever) and crap, now I don't have enough for a box of tampons until next month. But my period is due now. That kind of thing. 

[goldberry]

It is also part of a bigger discussion of the fact that tuition/fees/room/board has outpaced wages by 415% in the last two decades but a larger and larger segment of taxpayers qualify for ZERO financial aid so a whole bunch of us whose kids didn't get the rare full ride scholarship are maxing ourselves out and killing ourselves to pay college bills. 

 

YES!  :iagree:  :iagree:

[SparklyUnicorn]

Especially if four out of six family members, including the adults, were in college. Did all four of you get a 100% free ride? Tuition, books, fees, everything?

 

Yes? Then why the big concern about providing free tampons. You got a lot for free.

 

No? Then you weren't that poor.

 

I've had people brag to me about how they made it with no help.  Except then later they reveal someone bought them a car.  That is a MAJOR bone thrown in someone's direction.  That is not making it on one's own.  I would have had better paying options if I had transportation.  That in turn would have allowed me to continue to afford having the car.  I could have had more options in terms of school which could have led to better job options.  For example, I really wanted to go to school for nursing.  I couldn't afford to get to the school that offered it.  I also couldn't afford the insurance (malpractice), uniforms, and transportation to do the practices at the hospital.  So I majored in something where there was no off campus requirements.  I would have also benefited from something like internships except, again, I had no way to get there.  I had various people who'd give me rides, but it all was on their schedule.  Sometimes I went to the school at 6 in the morning because that was when I could get a ride.  And I'd come back at 9 at night.  Again, that's when I could get a ride. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

There was a very heated thread not long ago about whether or not you should flush tampons, and whether people who flushed were following the directions or ruining the planet.  A thread about tampons went on 10 pages or something!

 

haha...yeah I think I do remember that

[Murphy101]

Personally I think it ridiculous (my most polite term) that in one of the richest nations in the world there is even one citizen who cannot afford to:

 

Get basic medical care & prescriptions

Basic foods supplies

Basic education

Or afford things like diapers or pads

 

I think it's a national shame.

[FaithManor]

There was a very heated thread not long ago about whether or not you should flush tampons, and whether people who flushed were following the directions or ruining the planet. A thread about tampons went on 10 pages or something!

Yes, a very noteworthy thread. Not legendary like the cupcake thread, not profoundly epic like the Ken Hamm Kerfuffle of 2009????(year escapes me) but definitely worthy of a WTM honorable mention along with shopping cart and crockpots, LOL!

[plansrme]

Yeah ok. How do you get a job with no transportation among thousands of college students competing for the same jobs within walking distance?

 

You have no damn clue how things are for some people. So get a clue girlie.

Such a sweet sentiment, Sparkly. But to your eloquently expressed point, yes, I do have a clue about every drama queen college girl out there who thinks tuition and donor dollars should buy her personal hygiene products.

 

As for the argument that boys do not have a comparable expense, what about the fact that most boys need more calories than most girls? Should boys get free food? Should fat students get more than lean students?

 

This thread turned stupid and mean awfully fast.

[hornblower]

I assume you bring your own toilet paper with you to every public bathroom you frequent, and your own hand soap as well. Because entitlement.....

:iagree: 

 

I lived in a place & time where you had to bring your own toilet paper to a public bathroom. It's still common in many places, as is paying to use a public stocked washroom. 

 

It's just become the norm for there to be toilet paper & soap & paper towels/air dryers, but asking for a solution to a hygienic issue which affects 50% of the population is somehow "entitlement". Funny how that works.