College Students Demand Free Tampons

[Murphy101]

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.

Okay. I'm NOT picking on you. Really.

 

But you had help then too. Not nearly enough, but you had help. Thank goodness for those rides!

 

I agree though that the whole "I never had help" slogan is BS.

 

No one makes it in their own in this world. Anyone who says they do is full of crap.

[Murphy101]

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.

And for those situations, I and others have already said that a donation box in the campus nurse or the community pantry would be better than expecting the school to pay for everyone's pads.

[FaithManor]

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.

It is a national disgrace to me that public education is abysmal, basic life necessities like quality food staples and personal care items are unaffordable to any segment of population, that routine medical care is unaffordable, and public transportation is non existent in so many areas but we have money to fund studies on which catsup flows the slowest, why Argentinean drunken males engage in risky behavior (I think that study cost $150,000 because apparently the researchers did not comprehend the word "drunk"), build naval destroyers for hundreds of millions of dollars that the DoD didn't even want, and life time pensions and cadillac benefits to the knuckleheads who misused our money in the first place.

 

Meanwhile maxing out, we could only afford the ten meals per week plan for ds and have to get creative on how to keep him well fed in his $1000 a month glorified closet with a roommate. But none of the local colleges have his major, and he is so passionate about it that we will not make him change in order to save money.

 

Grrrr......it may be time for the peasants to revolt!

Edited March 16, 2016 by FaithManor

[SparklyUnicorn]

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.

 

Yep

 

My husband did not come from a poor family.  But either way he went to school for essentially free.  Not only did he not have to pay tuition, he could borrow money needed to live and it had very low interest (unlike here).  What he actually did was borrow money and invest it.  So he made money on it!  He lived at home.  There was plenty of public transportation so no wondering how to get to a job or school.  He even could get stuff like reduced rates on Internet, phone, etc.  He never went out with healthcare or insurance.  He graduated debt free. 

So did he have a better and easier time because he worked harder?  No way.  Lot easier to start off that way!

 

Now granted, the money for such a system has to come from somewhere.  Taxes are very high.  But to me it's a worthwhile investment. 

[Tanaqui]

Grrrr......it may be time for the peasants to revolt!

 

The situation is already revolting, after all.

 

Sorry, sorry, I live my life to make that pun.

 

But seriously, whether or not this request is valid, I find the vehemence of the opposing rhetoric both baffling and disturbing. You'd think these young women were asking for fois gras to be served at all meals, not the relatively inexpensive cost of cut-rate tampons.

[SparklyUnicorn]

It is a national disgrace to me that public education is abysmal, basic life necessities like quality food staples and personal care items are unaffordable to any segment of population, that routine medical care is unaffordable, and public transportation is non existent in so many areas but we have money to fund studies on which catsup flows the slowest, why Argentinean drunken males engage in risky behavior (I think that study cost $150,000 because apparently the researchers did not comprehend the word "drunk"), build naval destroyers for hundreds of millions of dollars that the DoD didn't even want, and life time pensions and cadillac benefits to the knuckleheads who misused our money in the first place.

 

Meanwhile maxing out, we could only afford the ten meals per week plan for ds and have to get creative on how to keep him well fed in his $1000 a month glorified closet with a roommate. But none of the local colleges have his major, and he is so passionate about it that we will not make him change in order to save money.

 

Grrrr......it may be time for the peasants to revolt!

 

Well where I am now, I feel like there are a lot more efforts to give people a boost.  The local CC is not only affordable, but has tons of help.  They'll even help someone if they are having trouble with a land lord.  They include transportation in the cost of classes.  Financial aid would easily cover the courses.  Some people don't have their own computers, but the school has tons and they stay open very late.  There is public transportation which makes it easier to get a job if one doesn't have transportation. 

 

Where I lived growing up, the poverty rate was low.  Being poor in a place like that means you fall through the cracks.  Where I am now there are more poor people, but then there are tons and tons of things out there to help.  I think this is what happens to some people sometimes.  They just end up in a place where there isn't much help.  And if you are already struggling it's not easy to just up and move somewhere. 

[HRAAB]

All this conversation about tampons/pads makes me think if I were designing the female body, I would have come up with a better, less painful, and less messy system.

 

I'm not sure I see this as an entitlement attitude. I don't know any woman who would choose to bleed every month. I sure as hell wouldn't. Makes me wonder if this would be common practice if it was men who needed it.

[Stellalarella]

I probably would have agreed that providing tampons for free should not be done, but when I hear Sparkly Unicorn's story, I am tempted to rethink.  I've read a lot of her posts on the boards over the years and when someone who usually writes in a very even tempered way suddenly expresses great emotion about a personal life story, it's time to sit up and pay attention.

 

I've had a person stop at my house and ask for help.  I asked the lady what she wanted, and she said she wanted tampons.  I gave her mine and we drove to the grocery store and got some other things.

 

I haven't panicked over needing tampons lately, but I keenly remember being sent home a note from school for my kids where they were supposed to merely bring $5 to school--and feeling the panic wash over me.  

 

It's really hard to help people understand the panic feeling that comes when you are trying to run things by pennies and dollars.  

[SparklyUnicorn]

All this conversation about tampons/pads makes me think if I were designing the female body, I would have come up with a better, less painful, and less messy system.

 

I'm not sure I see this as an entitlement attitude. I don't know any woman who would choose to bleed every month. I sure as hell wouldn't. Makes me wonder if this would be common practice if it was men who needed it.

 

Yeah I think really someone needs to come up with a cure for periods.  LOL

[Haiku]

The cost of college is outrageous and the financial aid system is broken.

 

I think we need to deal with that before we worry about free menstrual products.

 

I think that dealing with having a period is something women have to do, and I honestly don't think it's anyone else's responsibility to make that happen.

 

I was annoyed by the girl in the article who blamed the school's "lack of foresight" for her not having a pad or tampon or cup with her. It is not the school's job to foresee this for her. It is her job. Yes, I have been caught unprepared. We probably all have. It's part of life, not something we make a political crusade about.

 

I lived in a country where public bathrooms were not the norm, and if one was provided, you were charged for it. It seemed weird to me, but the people who grew up there thought nothing about it. Free toilet paper was not considered a right.

 

 

[Murphy101]

Yeah I think really someone needs to come up with a cure for periods. LOL

Ahem.

 

 

 

 

 

 

*coughpregnancycough*

 

 

 

 

 

 

😠I can't say that's been an "easier" or "cheaper" solution, but it did stop the periods.

[Tanaqui]

The cost of college is outrageous and the financial aid system is broken.

 

I think we need to deal with that before we worry about free menstrual products.

 

It is possible to care about or deal with two or more things at once. We can decry the exorbitantly high cost of college in this country, while also showing some concern over the high cost of personal care items, none of which are covered by EBT or WIC. (And yes, that IS a public health problem.) The one does not preclude the other.

 

[SparklyUnicorn]

The cost of college is outrageous and the financial aid system is broken.

 

I think we need to deal with that before we worry about free menstrual products.

 

I think that dealing with having a period is something women have to do, and I honestly don't think it's anyone else's responsibility to make that happen.

 

I was annoyed by the girl in the article who blamed the school's "lack of foresight" for her not having a pad or tampon or cup with her. It is not the school's job to foresee this for her. It is her job. Yes, I have been caught unprepared. We probably all have. It's part of life, not something we make a political crusade about.

 

I lived in a country where public bathrooms were not the norm, and if one was provided, you were charged for it. It seemed weird to me, but the people who grew up there thought nothing about it. Free toilet paper was not considered a right.

 

Well college students.  They tend to be very idealistic.  But yeah with college that expensive no wonder why the cost of tampons sets some people off. 

[Stellalarella]

I read the article.  

 

If someone was making the argument saying, "Look, students here are struggling to make ends meet and providing tampons will not cost us a lot of money but can help a definite number of these students," that seems fine.

 

I'm honestly struggling with the whole, "it's a right," thing.  

 

I went to a state park yesterday.  Some of the bathrooms had toilet paper.  Some didn't.  Honest to betsy, I didn't feel like I had a right to toilet paper.  I didn't even feel like I had the right to demand a kleenex from the pack-everything-extra friend who accompanied  me.  However, I was glad she kindly shared a kleenex and some handwipes (since there was no sink), but good gosh.  

 

If Walmart runs out of toilet paper in their fabulous public restrooms, do I have some kind of right to raise hell about it?  How is that going to work?  Dear Customer Service Employee, you are violating my RIGHTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Give me some of that John Wayne toilet paper! (Rough and Tough and won't take any crap off ya) and a Great Value Tampon while you are at it!!!!!!!!!!  Because it's my rights!  

 

No one does that.  

[SparklyUnicorn]

Public toilets aren't generally free in Germany, but my husband said you can ask to use it if you don't have the money.  Many times it's more a tip than a requirement. 

[Murphy101]

 

 

 

It is possible to care about or deal with two or more things at once. We can decry the exorbitantly high cost of college in this country, while also showing some concern over the high cost of personal care items, none of which are covered by EBT or WIC. (And yes, that IS a public health problem.) The one does not preclude the other.

But.. Personal hygiene products aren't that expensive at all. They are actually very cheap. Mine are considered expensive and are still $7 a month for enough for the two females in our house.

 

There's hardly anything else I can buy a one month supply of for $7.

 

I don't think the problem is the high cost of personal hygiene, which is actually really cheap.

 

I think it's the crazy high cost of other living expenses and very low comparative wages.

[Tanaqui]

Well college students. They tend to be very idealistic. But yeah with college that expensive no wonder why the cost of tampons sets some people off.

 

That's what gets me about all these articles about how "crazy" it is on college campuses today. OMG, those crazy college kids, they  hate free speech and want free things like tampons, the horror! I keep thinking "...but don't you remember what you were like at that age?" Because when I was 18, I was over-earnest and idealistic and everything was SUPER important and I think I wrote poetry too. I was also Quite Grown-Up. And then I grew up a little more and now I'm a little embarrassed about how strong my opinions were back then and how certain I was that everybody else was stupid... which is the same way I felt at 18 about my 13 year old self. I'm sure that when I'm in my 50s I'll look back at myself in my 30s and positively cringe. So I'm not going to get my panties into a wad over young adults being, well, young. Good for them! It's as pointless as getting butthurt over the antics of the local five year olds.

[SparklyUnicorn]

But.. Personal hygiene products aren't that expensive at all. They are actually very cheap. Mine are considered expensive and are still $7 a month for enough for the two females in our house.

 

There's hardly anything else I can buy a one month supply of for $7.

 

I don't think the problem is the high cost of personal hygiene, which is actually really cheap.

 

I think it's the crazy high cost of other living expenses and very low comparative wages.

 

Well, not for me they aren't, but I've got plumbing issues. 

 

When I was that age, no it wasn't so terrible. 

 

But as you say, if it's no big deal, then why not provide them?  They provide toilet paper.  Why?  It's not expensive.  Bring your own.  Think of all the money the college could save if they didn't buy toilet paper. 

[shinyhappypeople]

Because you are in a place where they are readily available, and you can afford them.

 

For those on limited means it can be hard to afford them.

 

For those on limited means (and I have been there, repeatedly) you buy the cheapo pack of pads at the dollar store and get on with your life.  It's my responsibility to take care of me.  

 

This quote slayed me: " When we menstruate, however unexpectedly, we should not feel fear in the pits of our stomachs because of your lack of foresight"

 

1.  Fear in the pit of your stomach?  Really?  Good morning, Captain Hyperbole.  It's just your period.  

 

2.  "because of YOUR lack of foresight."  Hello?! Who didn't remember to toss a tampon in her purse this morning?  It wasn't the dean of students.  It was YOU. YOUR lack of foresight caused your temporary discomfort.  It's not the end of the world.  Improvise with some TP until you can get back to your dorm.  You'll live.

 

Are today's young women really this weak and needy?  Good grief.  What happened to being strong, independent and self-sufficient? 

[SparklyUnicorn]

That's what gets me about all these articles about how "crazy" it is on college campuses today. OMG, those crazy college kids, they  hate free speech and want free things like tampons, the horror! I keep thinking "...but don't you remember what you were like at that age?" Because when I was 18, I was over-earnest and idealistic and everything was SUPER important and I think I wrote poetry too. I was also Quite Grown-Up. And then I grew up a little more and now I'm a little embarrassed about how strong my opinions were back then and how certain I was that everybody else was stupid... which is the same way I felt at 18 about my 13 year old self. I'm sure that when I'm in my 50s I'll look back at myself in my 30s and positively cringe. So I'm not going to get my panties into a wad over young adults being, well, young. Good for them! It's as pointless as getting butthurt over the antics of the local five year olds.

 

At that age, I didn't have time to be idealistic.  I worked a lot and studied a lot.  Nothing cushy about my life at that point. 

 

Now my life is relatively cushy.

[SparklyUnicorn]

For those on limited means (and I have been there, repeatedly) you buy the cheapo pack of pads at the dollar store and get on with your life.  It's my responsibility to take care of me.  

 

This quote slayed me: " When we menstruate, however unexpectedly, we should not feel fear in the pits of our stomachs because of your lack of foresight"

 

1.  Fear in the pit of your stomach?  Really?  Good morning, Captain Hyperbole.  It's just your period.  

 

2.  "because of YOUR lack of foresight."  Hello?! Who didn't remember to toss a tampon in her purse this morning?  It wasn't the dean of students.  It was YOU. YOUR lack of foresight caused your temporary discomfort.  It's not the end of the world.  Improvise with some TP until you can get back to your dorm.  You'll live.

 

Are today's young women really this weak and needy?  Good grief.  What happened to being strong, independent and self-sufficient? 

 

Guess you had light periods. 

[Murphy101]

That's what gets me about all these articles about how "crazy" it is on college campuses today. OMG, those crazy college kids, they hate free speech and want free things like tampons, the horror! I keep thinking "...but don't you remember what you were like at that age?" Because when I was 18, I was over-earnest and idealistic and everything was SUPER important and I think I wrote poetry too. I was also Quite Grown-Up. And then I grew up a little more and now I'm a little embarrassed about how strong my opinions were back then and how certain I was that everybody else was stupid... which is the same way I felt at 18 about my 13 year old self. I'm sure that when I'm in my 50s I'll look back at myself in my 30s and positively cringe. So I'm not going to get my panties into a wad over young adults being, well, young. Good for them! It's as pointless as getting butthurt over the antics of the local five year olds.

No. I wasn't. Neither was my dh and neither are our young adult sons.

 

We might have been ridiculously optimistic even in the face of dire reality but we weren't like these articles and didn't know anyone who was.

 

I don't think this is even being idealistic. Not sure what word to use, but that's not striking me as the right one.

 

There's no idealism in pitching a fit for free stuff.

 

Idealism would be organizing a community pantry where donations are collected and disbursed.

 

Idealism would be organizing rallies to demand cuts in administration pay to make schools more affordable or to demand better financial guidance and accountability that doesn't prey on the poor to line college coffers.

[*Lulu*]

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.

 

You're right. Post number 23 and the hysterical girls of the crazy expensive university system were condemned as vapid, grasping twits.

 

I am so tired of every time young adults bring up an issue that bothers them and they are trying to make better or figure out seeing them run down and labeled as "society's problem".

 

Tampons may not be the heart of the problem, but the conversation has to start somewhere.

[Tanaqui]

But.. Personal hygiene products aren't that expensive at all. They are actually very cheap. Mine are considered expensive and are still $7 a month for enough for the two females in our house.

 

$84 a year is very expensive when you're living hand-to-mouth... and I was actually not using "personal hygiene products" as a euphemism but was using it to include all such items, such as soap, laundry soap, shampoo, deodorant (not a "need", strictly speaking, but if you want your child to have friends its good to stock some), diapers, toothpaste, and pads/tampons. All this DOES add up, and women shouldn't be forced to reuse disposable diapers because they can't afford to buy new. (And yes, cloth diapers and cloth pads and menstrual cups do exist, but they're a very high upfront cost. This sort of thing is why it's always more expensive to be poor. Diapers and pads, in particular, may not even be an option if you don't have access to your own private washing machine. Many laundromats won't let you wash diapers in them. The laundromat is another expense, of course.)

[Tanaqui]

Idealism would be organizing a community pantry where donations are collected and disbursed.

 

Private charity is not an adequate substitute for a real, viable social safety net.

 

[SparklyUnicorn]

I hate tampons.  I don't use them.

 

Just so you all know.  :lol:

 

I'm kinda looking forward to the time I don't have periods anymore.  *sigh* 

[Tanaqui]

At that age, I didn't have time to be idealistic. I worked a lot and studied a lot. Nothing cushy about my life at that point.

 

I was idealistic AND poor/hard working. I don't think your life needs to be "cushy" for you to be idealistic, nor that idealism requires a particular output of time. Activism does, but simply having idealistic goals and opinions doesn't.

[Murphy101]

Private charity is not an adequate substitute for a real, viable social safety net.

Neither are an adequate substitute for real viable wages and personal responsibility.

[SparklyUnicorn]

$84 a year is very expensive when you're living hand-to-mouth... and I was actually not using "personal hygiene products" as a euphemism but was using it to include all such items, such as soap, laundry soap, shampoo, deodorant (not a "need", strictly speaking, but if you want your child to have friends its good to stock some), diapers, toothpaste, and pads/tampons. All this DOES add up, and women shouldn't be forced to reuse disposable diapers because they can't afford to buy new. (And yes, cloth diapers and cloth pads and menstrual cups do exist, but they're a very high upfront cost. This sort of thing is why it's always more expensive to be poor. Diapers and pads, in particular, may not even be an option if you don't have access to your own private washing machine. Many laundromats won't let you wash diapers in them. The laundromat is another expense, of course.)

 

It does add up.  Really it's crazy.  I do a separate toiletry/cleaning products run (from the groceries) because it's a bit cheaper in a place like Walmart.  It's nothing for me to walk out paying $100 for just absolute basics.  I buy less expensive toothpaste, but holy crap they have some brands that cost $5 for one tube! 

[SparklyUnicorn]

Neither are an adequate substitute for real viable wages and personal responsibility.

 

viable wage yes....I would not necessarily assume lack of responsibiilty

 

It's one thing to refuse opportunities.  It's another not to have many or any. 

 

It was a stretch for me to go to school.  No doubt about it, but it was the right move.  I made a lot more money with a degree than without.

[shinyhappypeople]

Guess you had light periods. 

 

Do you really want details?  I'll spare you.  

 

I miss the days when personal responsibility was a virtue. 

[Tanaqui]

Neither are an adequate substitute for real viable wages and personal responsibility.

 

I am so sick of this  "personal responsibility" buzzword, which always seems to translate to "I don't like to think that humans in a society have a responsibility towards each other". If you feel that way, well, bully for you, but you may was well go be a hermit in the woods. I would rather live in a community with other people, and that means everybody working together for the common good.

 

As for wages... the truth is, I don't think the jobs are coming back. I think they're gone, and unless we find some other way of allocating goods and resources (minimum income, anybody? a real one, that covers more than just 75% of the bare necessities) we're all gonna find ourselves heading over the hill to the poorhouse.

[PinkyandtheBrains.]

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.

 

This I agree with.

 

Sadly, there are many people who are in this position. Many more who would be if family and friends didn't step in to help where they can.

 

Life happens, even to the most responsible people, and they can find themselves in extreme poverty.

[SKL]

then you weren't that poor

 

OK so you know someone who couldn't go to college over the price of tampons?  Come on.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I was idealistic AND poor/hard working. I don't think your life needs to be "cushy" for you to be idealistic, nor that idealism requires a particular output of time. Activism does, but simply having idealistic goals and opinions doesn't.

 

True. 

 

I guess the hardest thing for me is having no clue what in heck I was doing or where I was going.  I felt very alone.  it was so chaotic.

 

My 14 year old said to me he can't wait until he is 18 then he can have a real life.  Like from one day to the next some switch will be flicked.  He wants to get on with stuff.  He wants to go to college (now).  He wants a job (now).  It just can't happen fast enough.  I said it really doesn't work that way.  It's still a long road and process to get there.  It does not happen over night. And along the way there is always something challenging. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

OK so you know someone who couldn't go to college over the price of tampons?  Come on.

 

almost me

 

not just tampons, but because of basic needs

 

although in school or not in school...I would have struggled either way

 

And really I was not an average student with average grades.  So had I had any sort of difficulty with my studies..forget about it.  At least I had that going for me.  Took a class last semester at the CC.  Lots of full time working full load students scraping by with Cs and Ds.  If they keep going like that, they won't graduate (and then they'll have debts with nothing to show for it).  But it was massively difficult for them because they lacked a lot of basic skills.  Another issue.  How is it that we go to school for 12 plus years and lack basic skills?  And this was a basic CC class. 

[SKL]

Later on when I learned more about what I could ask for and how FA worked I often went and asked for more money and I got it.  I just did not know how this stuff worked when I started. 

 

I think this is a big issue.  High school students need to be educated in finance, including educational finance.  So many people I knew thought they had no chance to go to college because their parents weren't rich.  I was lucky, my mom knew about stuff, so we could choose a leveraged education over none.

 

[SparklyUnicorn]

Do you really want details?  I'll spare you.  

 

I miss the days when personal responsibility was a virtue. 

 

I'm familiar with heavy bleeding.  LOL

[SparklyUnicorn]

I think this is a big issue.  High school students need to be educated in finance, including educational finance.  So many people I knew thought they had no chance to go to college because their parents weren't rich.  I was lucky, my mom knew about stuff, so we could choose a leveraged education over none.

 

I signed up for the military when I was 17.  I saw a sign that they'd pay for my college.  I couldn't imagine any other way.  I really really did NOT want to join the military though.  But I wanted badly to go to college so I would have done it if that was the only choice.  I changed my mind.  I had learned a bit about the financial aid stuff.  I did for the most part manage to get the money for tuition and fees.  So I went. 

 

I'm still paying for it.

[Murphy101]

viable wage yes....I would not necessarily assume lack of responsibiilty

 

It's one thing to refuse opportunities. It's another not to have many or any.

 

It was a stretch for me to go to school. No doubt about it, but it was the right move. I made a lot more money with a degree than without.

I am not assuming a lack of responsibility. But yes, personal responsibility matters.

 

For example, I find it interesting that instead of seeing a need and working to meet it, they saw a need and demanded someone else meet it.

 

No. If there is a need, we all have a *personal* responsibility to help provide it.

 

So if this is a legitimate need, and I think it is, then for sure I think it should come from taxes not individual institutions like colleges. What gives a college kid the right to free hygiene and not the single mom who cleans the college bathrooms?

 

I would have respected starting a community donation pantry or petitioning for it to be added to low income assistance means.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I am not assuming a lack of responsibility. But yes, personal responsibility matters.

 

For example, I find it interesting that instead of seeing a need and working to meet it, they saw a need and demanded someone else meet it.

 

No. If there is a need, we all have a *personal* responsibility to help provide it.

 

So if this is a legitimate need, and I think it is, then for sure I think it should come from taxes not individual institutions like colleges. What gives a college kid the right to free hygiene and not the single mom who cleans the college bathrooms?

 

I would have respected starting a community donation pantry or petitioning for it to be added to low income assistance means.

 

Well, maybe it is just where I live, but I think sometimes there is so much govt. regulation (intended to help people) that actually hurts people and stands in their way from trying to solve a problem or become self sufficient.  No joke, there probably are rules and regulations surrounding starting something like a community donation pantry. 

 

My kids always mention starting a business.  Forget about it.  Too many regulations.  You can't even have a lemonade stand around here without a permit.  No joke. 

 

Plus who is going to donate to that?  The other poor college students?  I do like the idea, but again this is not always as easy as some think. 

[Murphy101]

Well, maybe it is just where I live, but I think sometimes there is so much govt. regulation (intended to help people) that actually hurts people and stands in their way from trying to solve a problem or become self sufficient. No joke, there probably are rules and regulations surrounding starting something like a community donation pantry.

 

My kids always mention starting a business. Forget about it. Too many regulations. You can't even have a lemonade stand around here without a permit. No joke.

 

Plus who is going to donate to that? The other poor college students? I do like the idea, but again this is not always as easy as some think.

I never said anything was easy.

 

What do you mean who will donate to it? If there is NO ONE who can donate, then how do you expect those same people to afford tuition hikes for every thing a person needs to get by?

[LucyStoner]

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.

Until fairly recently, for 50 odd years college or trade school was fairly affordable. A student at a state school here is now paying 350-400% more for that state school than my generation did. And I am only 35 so I am talking about people who would have graduated with a college degret less than 15 years ago if they started and finished on time. If college were that frigging expensive, who the heck knows what we couldn't afford. I agree with you that living wages and affordable colelge are key but I really don't like it when we, as grown ass women (even those of use who were dirt poor), compare what we were able to do to finance our education with what college aged adults today face. A pell grant now covers less than 1/2 the tuition at the state university here. We really have no idea. Edited March 16, 2016 by LucyStoner

[SKL]

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.

 

Actually it was 6 out of 8 family members.

 

No free ride; we all took out substantial loans.  And then paid them off (plus paid significant loan fees and hefty interest).  And these amounts were not tax deductible / creditable in those days.  [i got almost no grants, because they determined that solely based on family income, ignoring family size.  My parents' income with 1 kid would have gone a lot farther than with 4 college kids and 2 younger kids).

 

We were a very frugal family, attended a regional campus so we could live in my parents' house, and had a little money left over after tuition and books to pay for stuff like car insurance and food.  We shared whatever car our parents also drove to work.  Yes, they had one or two cars depending on the year.  We lived rural where there was no public transportation.

 

We also all had jobs all the time.  At one point I worked two jobs, 60 hours per week, while attending school full-time.  I saved up the money for future expenses at school.

 

My mom felt we should go to college and helped make it happen.  I have much to be thankful for.

Edited March 16, 2016 by SKL

[SparklyUnicorn]

I am so sick of this  "personal responsibility" buzzword, which always seems to translate to "I don't like to think that humans in a society have a responsibility towards each other". If you feel that way, well, bully for you, but you may was well go be a hermit in the woods. I would rather live in a community with other people, and that means everybody working together for the common good.

 

As for wages... the truth is, I don't think the jobs are coming back. I think they're gone, and unless we find some other way of allocating goods and resources (minimum income, anybody? a real one, that covers more than just 75% of the bare necessities) we're all gonna find ourselves heading over the hill to the poorhouse.

 

Well I fully admit that I lacked personal responsibility when choosing my birth parents.  I mean what was I thinking?!  If I wanted to be a good student and go to college, I really should have planned that better. 

 

At least I made better choices with marrying.

[Haiku]

I am so sick of this "personal responsibility" buzzword, which always seems to translate to "I don't like to think that humans in a society have a responsibility towards each other".

I think in this thread personal responsibility means bringing a tampon or pad with you and not blaming the university's "lack of foresight" for not having one available free when you need it. I'm not big on the conservative personal responsibility buzzword, but in this case I truly think it is a woman's responsibility.

 

As far as comparing pads and tampons to toilet paper, well, everyone goes to the bathroom multiple times every day. If I only used the toilet a few times a month, I wouldn't expect places of public accommodation to provide toilets. I'd plan my schedule around my toilet needs.

 

I don't think the two are comparable.

Edited March 16, 2016 by TaraTheLiberator

[Guest]

Wow, rebel without a cause! Some generations fought for equal rights for women. Some fought for civil rights for African Americans. Some fought against being drafted into a war they disagreed with. This one fights for free tampons (which are terrible for the environment, btw). You've come a long way, Baby!

[momacacia]

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

Getting people to take personal responsibility should be a requisite college class.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I never said anything was easy.

 

What do you mean who will donate to it? If there is NO ONE who can donate, then how do you expect those same people to afford tuition hikes for every thing a person needs to get by?

 

Yeah I forget not everyone was as hard up as I was.  So maybe some people can donate tampons and stuff.  I went to a school with more commuters than those living on campus.  It was hard to organize anything.

[SparklyUnicorn]

Although I don't see tampon machines anywhere anymore.  They used to have them for 10 cents.  Ten cents is doable.