College Students Demand Free Tampons

[SparklyUnicorn]

We will have to disagree then. I don't see how demanding free stuff from people not responsible for taking care of your personal needs is indicative of good character.

 

So why have food stamps?  It's not my damn problem if other people are too incompetent to figure out how to get food and take care of their personal need.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I'm not serious about the food thing, but gee we could apply this "logic" to a lot of things.  Toilet paper is a personal need as much as tampons are a personal need. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

I wonder how people would feel about carrying around personal clothes for peeing and pooping.  You know they could wipe their butt and then put it in a plastic bag.  Then on laundry day...wash the stuff off.  They can carry that around in their purse.  Men will need purses and women who don't carry purses will need purses.  So next thing you know the purse industry is BOOMING.  This could be great for the economy. 

[Cindy in FL.]

I'm not serious about the food thing, but gee we could apply this "logic" to a lot of things.  Toilet paper is a personal need as much as tampons are a personal need.

 

  

So why have food stamps?  It's not my damn problem if other people are too incompetent to figure out how to get food and take care of their personal need.

I'm not talking about poor people who need assistance. I think food stamps should cover personal care items. I do not view toilet paper the same as tampons and pads and I do not feel that there is any obligation to supply those to people in general.

[Tsuga]

They aren't demanding it because they are poor. They seem to think they have the right to free stuff simply because they menstruate.

 

Just like free toilet paper, hot water, and soap because you poop and pee, right? I mean, the audacity.

[Guest]

I don't think that feeling you have a "right to free stuff" is a character flaw. So repeating yourself on this issue isn't going to convince me.

I do think that expecting free stuff is a character flaw. I suppose we won't come to an agreement on this issue.

[Guest]

Lots of businesses don't have public restrooms but there is a toilet back there, somewhere. Do I have a right to demand to use it?

[Tsuga]

 

 

 I do not view toilet paper the same as tampons and pads and I do not feel that there is any obligation to supply those to people in general.

 

Of course  not.

 

You are used to getting toilet paper provided to you by the government and large corporations, so that's different.

 

If you're getting it for free, it's most likely justified.

 

If someone else gets it for free, they're not justified.

 

That's how the brain works. You would never take anything for free if it was not justified... so getting toilet paper is justified.

 

Other people? Well, you're not going to judge, but you're just saying, you never got a free tampon.

 

Finally, can I just say... if there's no tampon and it's an emergency, I'm taking half a roll of toilet paper and shoving it down my pants. Okay? So you're not saving much. You still have to stock the restrooms.

[gardenmom5]

My point is that we DO know that SOME college students can't afford them. That is a problem. I am not suggesting that free sanitary products are handed out to everyone indiscriminately, but that those who cannot afford them should be able to get them somewhere for free. Or rather, it would be awesome if they could. Again, did you see Sparkly's posts? It was obviously no to all of the above for her. That really sucks.

 

these are college students.  college costs money. how are they affording college?

 

we were audited BY the college, becasue they couldn't believe our income had gone down from when they started.  our girls STILL bought their own products.

 

2dd has a doc -and graduated with HALF the debt of her classmates.  because of how she chose to spend money - we certainly didn't have it to pay her tuition.

 

honestly - I'd have FAR  MORE respect for them if they were working towards doing something about the rip off that is textbook publishing.  (I say this as someone with a friend who is a college professor and authored a textbook.  the publisher REQUIRES them to update the text book every two years. . . . so - the *students* have to buy news ones and can't buy a used book.  you can buy nearly identical text books in *other* countries for a whole lot less - but the pages are different so you can't really use them in the US.)

[marbel]

What do you mean really? How is this different? 

 

I don't think your examples are quite the same.  I guess it comes down to..is toilet paper a basic need?  If not, why are we providing it?  If it is, why don't feminine hygiene products not fall into the same category?  Is it because men don't use them too?

 

Razors...nice to have, but not shaving your legs is not up there with bloodying your pants.

 

Is this conversation headed to "it's sexism because men don't need them?"  

 

Someone already said this:  every person needs toilet paper multiple times a day, every single day.  Public accommodations such as stores provide it as a convenience to their customers.  If I was out shopping and had to use the restroom and found that toilet paper was not provided, I'd probably avoid that store in the future.  If I worked in a place that didn't have toilet paper for the employees, I guess I'd learn to bring my own or get a new job.  It is something that has become customary and expected in our (western? first world? don't know) culture.  

 

But among all people, there is a small subset that needs menstrual products on any given day.  And there are differences in preferences and needs.  Not everyone uses tampons comfortably.   Some people wear clothing that wouldn't work with a pad.  So more options are needed. 

 

The idea that having free products on university campuses would help homeless women is complete b.s.  Homeless women are not hanging out on campus to use the bathroom.  There are better ways to help people in grave financial need than by supplying college students with free supplies.  

 

 

 

[Tsuga]

I do think that expecting free stuff is a character flaw. I suppose we won't come to an agreement on this issue.

 

Really.

 

Roads. Streetlamps. Water fountains. Public garbage cans. Public restrooms at parks. You don't use those? Traffic lights. The electricity at stores you visit. National park visitors centers (no your gift does not pay for that, it's a tiny percentage of the amount, it's just there to deter people from living in the parks). The police. Urgent response (you have to pay for the ambulance but not the medics, where I live). NETWORK TELEVISION.

 

I could go on and on and on. Like you have no idea how much we get for free. Tampons? You're drawing the line there?

 

Libraries? You don't go to the library, and CERTAINLY not use their restroom or their toilet paper? Do you have any idea how much work and labor goes into maintaining that? I mean any idea.

 

There is no end to the infrastructure that people expect all around the civilized world. Tampons. Hah! You guys, this is literally the tiniest drop in the bucket.

 

(I do agree with garden mom on one thing, that the textbook racket has GOT to end! But that's another issue, and we can't just have One Issue Per Year.)

[Tanaqui]

Really? I guess we need to supply diapers (cloth and disposable), wipes, contact solution, deodorant, razors, etc. Toilet paper and paper towels are in a different category. Actually, I've used both in an emergency when menstruating. What I haven't done is expect someone else to take care of my personal hygiene.

 

Menstruation is a public health issue, not a personal care issue. If you're walking around dripping blood, that's a problem for everybody around you, same as if you were drenched with urine.

 

We will have to disagree then. I don't see how demanding free stuff from people not responsible for taking care of your personal needs is indicative of good character.

 

I don't see how pretending we aren't all responsible for each other in a society is indicative of good character.

 

As I said upthread, I believe we've hit peak jobs, that is, that we're at the point where computers and machinery are no longer making new work for people. And even if you don't think we've hit that point already, you still have to see that, barring a worldwide technological collapse, we're bound to hit it sooner or later. At some point, only a tiny percentage of the population is going to need to work, and those only in specialized careers such as teacher or author. We're not going to need builders or factory workers or fry cooks anymore. And if we don't have a non-shaming way for those people to get what they need, they're going to starve. (And if we don't allow them to get more than the bare necessities, the economy will suffer and everybody, even the necessary workers, will be worse off.)

 

Likewise, if we get the worldwide population under control and also our energy sources - both things we're making rapid progress on - then we're bound to hit post-scarcity sooner or later. This might not happen in my lifetime or yours, but it will happen.

 

And if we don't get rid of this idea that people need to struggle and work in order to merit anything nice, then what are people going to do when there IS no work? If we don't sort this out, and fast, before we hit the crisis, then things are going to be really bad for quite a while.

[SKL]

Federal grants use income and family size, correct? I don't think that's changed since you were college aged.( since you said you got "almost no" grants) and you've claimed to be from a poor-ish family to a middle class one. I guess it depends on which one it really was.

 

I never said my family of origin was middle class.  It was poor by US standards, especially considering the family size, and the fact that my dad's dyslexia seriously limited his employment prospects.  We generally did eat.  We qualifed for food stamps and other benefits at times, but didn't always take them.  My mom is very smart & hard-working and was able to manage finances better than the average low-income person.  (Not putting anyone down, just stating a fact.)

 

I have said I now live in a middle-class neighborhood.  I am 49 years old, and much has happened since I went to college.

 

[Cindy in FL.]

Of course not.

 

You are used to getting toilet paper provided to you by the government and large corporations, so that's different.

 

If you're getting it for free, it's most likely justified.

 

If someone else gets it for free, they're not justified.

 

That's how the brain works. You would never take anything for free if it was not justified... so getting toilet paper is justified.

 

Other people? Well, you're not going to judge, but you're just saying, you never got a free tampon.

 

Finally, can I just say... if there's no tampon and it's an emergency, I'm taking half a roll of toilet paper and shoving it down my pants. Okay? So you're not saving much. You still have to stock the restrooms.

You really are making assumptions about me that you have no right/knowledge/or justification to make. If toilet paper and paper towels were no longer available in public bathrooms then I would bring my own.

[Tsuga]

 

 

Homeless women are not hanging out on campus to use the bathroom. 

 

Darling, you simply must come to Seattle. :D They totally, totally are. Like it's a major facilities issue where I work. But on the other hand, even when they removed the toilet paper and soap at night to deter people, it did not help. Finally everyone in this area had to just say no public restrooms after a certain hour.

 

Edited March 17, 2016 by Tsuga

[Tanaqui]

You really are making assumptions about me that you have no right/knowledge/or justification to make. If toilet paper and paper towels were no longer available in public bathrooms then I would bring my own.

 

But you're not asking them to stop stocking it, and you outright said it's a different issue.

[gardenmom5]

 .  I just think that learning how to support yourself and care for your hygiene needs is an important aspect of college.  Maybe that means using a cup.  Maybe free pads.  Maybe budgeting.  I don't know. 

 

Sorry if I offended.  I just truly think that learning about the limitations placed on young women throughout the world can make us all (including college students who have to suffer through buying their own tampons) grateful for the abundance in our own lives.

 

I'd take it farther and that learning how to *prioritize* all your expenses and budgeting is an important part of college.

 

dh's MBA program deliberately gave the students more to do than they possibly could - not because they were "unreasonable", but because that's real life.  you have to prioritize which things are most important - the rest is gravy.  and that was the lesson.

[leeannpal]

Really.

 

Roads. Streetlamps. Water fountains. Public garbage cans. Public restrooms at parks. You don't use those? Traffic lights. The electricity at stores you visit. National park visitors centers (no your gift does not pay for that, it's a tiny percentage of the amount, it's just there to deter people from living in the parks). The police. Urgent response (you have to pay for the ambulance but not the medics, where I live). NETWORK TELEVISION.

 

I could go on and on and on. Like you have no idea how much we get for free. Tampons? You're drawing the line there?

 

Libraries? You don't go to the library, and CERTAINLY not use their restroom or their toilet paper? Do you have any idea how much work and labor goes into maintaining that? I mean any idea.

 

There is no end to the infrastructure that people expect all around the civilized world. Tampons. Hah! You guys, this is literally the tiniest drop in the bucket.

 

(I do agree with garden mom on one thing, that the textbook racket has GOT to end! But that's another issue, and we can't just have One Issue Per Year.)

 

 Most of the things you listed are not free. They are provided by taxes.

 

FWIW, when I lived in China, toilet paper was not available in public restrooms. I just got used to carrying it in my bag when I knew I would be out and about. It is nice to have free toilet paper in public restrooms here, but I wouldn't demand it if there weren't any. I would bring my own.

 

IMHO, toilet paper in public restrooms is not "free" either. It is a calculated expense of a business that is passed on the consumer in many cases.

[gardenmom5]

Darling, you simply must come to Seattle. :D They totally, totally are. Like it's a major facilities issue where I work. But on the other hand, even when they removed the toilet paper and soap at night to deter people, it did not help. Finally everyone in this area had to just say no public restrooms after a certain hour.

 

well  - when they bother to use bathrooms . . . . .

[Tanaqui]

 Most of the things you listed are not free. They are provided by taxes.

 

That's what taxes are for.

 

[Tsuga]

You really are making assumptions about me that you have no right/knowledge/or justification to make. If toilet paper and paper towels were no longer available in public bathrooms then I would bring my own.

 

That's basic human psychology. Everyone thinks that way.

 

It is particularly prominent on this thread, but every single human being I've ever met does that.

 

I'm not assuming anything about you that would not apply to nearly 100% of the population.

 

I'm a decent person -> I use free toilet paper -> using free toilet paper is justified.

 

If you really applied the same standard to toilet paper as you do to hygiene supplies, you would realize that there is not a difference between the two hygiene needs.

 

The only explanation is that (a) you know something about pooping that the rest of us do not or (b) like most people, you are employing a self-serving justification.

 

And of course you'd bring your own. We all would. But I don't see anyone here complaining about free TP in bathrooms. I mean when is the last time someone posted about how they can't stand the fact that every time they buy a Big Mac they are paying for all those pregnant ladies to use the toilet paper and flush the toilet even when they're just getting fries!!!! Nobody says that because we all think it's okay, presumably.

[Cindy in FL.]

But you're not asking them to stop stocking it, and you outright said it's a different issue.

I'm not asking them to stop stocking tampons and pads, because they can't stop something they aren't doing. If they want to stop stocking toilet paper, I am not going to demand my right to toilet paper or threaten to mobilize others against them. I'll just suck it up and be responsible for my own toilet paper. Maybe I'll start carrying my own from now on. 😃

[Tsuga]

 Most of the things you listed are not free. They are provided by taxes.

 

FWIW, when I lived in China, toilet paper was not available in public restrooms. I just got used to carrying it in my bag when I knew I would be out and about. It is nice to have free toilet paper in public restrooms here, but I wouldn't demand it if there weren't any. I would bring my own.

 

IMHO, toilet paper in public restrooms is not "free" either. It is a calculated expense of a business that is passed on the consumer in many cases.

 

:banghead:

 

Yeah... I stated that.

 

Nothing's free but plenty of things we use without thinking, "There shouldn't be a tax for this!" or "The corporation shouldn't roll this cost into the cost of the products I want to buy!"

 

Nothing is free but we don't pay for lots of things when we get them.

 

That's why this particular headline is such clickbait.

 

"Men demand free running water and toilet paper in college restrooms!"

 

The nerve.

[Cindy in FL.]

That's basic human psychology. Everyone thinks that way.

 

It is particularly prominent on this thread, but every single human being I've ever met does that.

 

I'm not assuming anything about you that would not apply to nearly 100% of the population.

 

I'm a decent person -> I use free toilet paper -> using free toilet paper is justified.

 

If you really applied the same standard to toilet paper as you do to hygiene supplies, you would realize that there is not a difference between the two hygiene needs.

 

The only explanation is that (a) you know something about pooping that the rest of us do not or (b) like most people, you are employing a self-serving justification.

 

And of course you'd bring your own. We all would. But I don't see anyone here complaining about free TP in bathrooms. I mean when is the last time someone posted about how they can't stand the fact that every time they buy a Big Mac they are paying for all those pregnant ladies to use the toilet paper and flush the toilet even when they're just getting fries!!!! Nobody says that because we all think it's okay, presumably.

I think you are failing to see the difference in making use of something that is freely provided and demanding that something be provided so that you can use it.

[HRAAB]

So these demanding, entitled minded young adults - where did they come from? Who produced them? Raised them? Taught these lazy, selfish, spoiled values? My generation. My parent's generation. I can see problems with the current young generation, but I also see many problems with the older generations. For every entitled minded young person, I can show you an older person with the same attitude.

 

I'm a little hesitant to keep complaining about this spoiled, self centered young generation when I know my generation raised them and plenty of them (my generation) are not exactly a shining example themselves.

[Tanaqui]

I think you are failing to see the difference in making use of something that is freely provided and demanding that something be provided so that you can use it.

 

Cindy, your exact words were "Toilet paper and paper towels are in a different category." Now you're trying to backtrack like you never meant that, and of course you'd bring your own if they stopped stocking it, but that's not what you said to start with.

 

And you know what? You're allowed to make demands and petition business and universities. Even completely unreasonable demands like "I demand that the faculty all do funny jigs at 11:53pm every Thursday". They can respond as they see fit. If they don't do what you like, you have a right to take your business elsewhere. You don't have to just sit down and take whatever they see fit to dish out.

[JumpyTheFrog]

As long as toilet paper is kept in locked dispensers, it isn't very convenient to steal it. Who wants to bother with shoving large wads of in in their bag? The same for stealing soap or paper towels. I think the pp who said the best way would be to dispense them one at a time, not wrapped, has the right idea. That should cut down on people stealing.

 

As far as those saying people who can't afford tampons shouldn't be in college, it's about margin. Somebody who constantly has that little financial margin in their life (not just occasionally at the end of the semester) is at very high risk of dropping out. These are probably the people who never graduate and end up with student loans they can't pay. I don't the posters saying they shouldn't be in college mean that poor people should suffer, but rather it is a disservice to tell people who won't finish school that they should go. There is the opportunity cost of not working, plus ending up with student loans. There are probably many poor students out there that would have been better off waiting a few years before attending than going and dropping out.

 

If someone was already working two jobs barely had enough time to sleep but wanted to work more, would you tell them to go ahead and get a third job? Or would you point out that they are barely hanging on and it will all come crashing down if they try? They simply don't have enough margin in their life to handle the unexpected.

 

Someone who can't afford tampons probably can't afford textbooks either. I wouldn't tell someone to attend college if they were going to try to skate by without using the textbooks (because they couldn't borrow or share them or use a library copy). Dropping out with student loans probably puts most people in a worse position than never going.

[Haiku]

I might be hungry while on campus and without pocket money. I think the university should foresee that I forgot to bring a snack and provide free food for me. A bonus would be that people who don't even attend the university but are feeling a bit peckish could stop in for a snack, as well.

[SKL]

Federal grants use income and family size, correct? I don't think that's changed since you were college aged.( since you said you got "almost no" grants) and you've claimed to be from a poor-ish family to a middle class one. I guess it depends on which one it really was.

 

Oh, and as for grants, I got a $500 fed grant the first one or two years of college.  That is all.  In comparison, my undergrad loans totaled about $10,000.  I paid more than $500 on student loan fees over the course of my education.  Not saying I didn't appreciate getting the $500, but it's not like I had a free ride.

 

I don't know all the details of how the feds decided who got what, but I know that the state did not consider family size, so we didn't qualify for any state aid.  Also, when considering family size, do/did they look at adult students, or only under a certain age? That would have made a big difference for us.  Not that it matters at this point.

 

My issue is not that there are benefits for people in need.  But college access does not turn on the cost of tampons.  That is such an extreme stretch, I can't believe mature people are even arguing it.

[Tanaqui]

I might be hungry while on campus and without pocket money. I think the university should foresee that I forgot to bring a snack and provide free food for me. A bonus would be that people who don't even attend the university but are feeling a bit peckish could stop in for a snack, as well.

 

Many business and schools do, in fact, provide complimentary snacks, ranging from bags of chips to whole fruit.

[Tanaqui]

My issue is not that there are benefits for people in need.  But college access does not turn on the cost of tampons.  That is such an extreme stretch, I can't believe mature people are even arguing it.

 

If that's the case, then surely fees wouldn't increase all that much if colleges provided them without an additional charge.

 

[Tsuga]

I'm not asking them to stop stocking tampons and pads, because they can't stop something they aren't doing. If they want to stop stocking toilet paper, I am not going to demand my right to toilet paper or threaten to mobilize others against them. I'll just suck it up and be responsible for my own toilet paper. Maybe I'll start carrying my own from now on. 😃

 

Sounds great!

 

You'll also want to bring a flashlight, so as to not use electricity, stop going to libraries (or set up auto-pay to fund them), and live on a private road. Maybe just walk on people's lawns? What bout the clean air we breathe: in some countries, they don't have controls or testing. You've been to corrupt China. How was that nice Beijing air?

 

Shall we start a list of "homes no longer wishing to be served by the fire department, police, defended by the US armed forces, or urgent response, but thanks anyway, we just don't want your free stuff!"

 

The audacity on this thread, the amount of things people actually take for granted, thinking that they are not beneficiaries of an incredibly sophisticated machine to raise all of our quality of life, is just plain shocking.

 

Generally I enjoy your posts but I really think you are underestimating the magnitude of your claims here.

 

 

 

 

they can't stop something they aren't doing.

 

Oh they can! They so can. I am laughing out loud because it's comical how much can actually go wrong and how much they can actually stop.

 

I watched the USSR disintegrate over several trips. Boy oh boy. You should see what they can stop doing, LOL. It's more or less when you go to the police to report a crime and there's nobody there, or go to the pharmacy and it's closed because customs isn't working so no medicine is imported, that you really start to think, "Hm, it seems like we could use a functioning system here... "

 

They used to steal toilet seats off the toilets. Hah!

 

Oh, the wild dogs, the wild dogs. When all of a sudden funds dry up for animal control and you have packs of wild dogs roaming around. I remember that.

 

But hey, tampons, THAT'S what makes us entitled. Not the TP, not the electricity, not the roads, not the police, not the fire, not urgent response, not the air traffic controllers, not the subsidized crops, not the fiber optic cables or the government built railroads or the ports or those who levy taxes and regulate imports, nooooooooo. That's not entitlement, to participate in that.

 

 

You have to draw the line somewhere and I guess tampons is it!

[SparklyUnicorn]

   I do not view toilet paper the same as tampons and pads and I do not feel that there is any obligation to supply those to people in general.

 

Why not?

[Tanaqui]

Shall we start a list of "homes no longer wishing to be served by the fire department, police, defended by the US armed forces, or urgent response, but thanks anyway, we just don't want your free stuff!"

 

There are actually towns like that in the US, where the fire department is a subscription service (or subscription if you're outside the town limits) and if your home catches on fire they'll rescue the people but let the structure burn if you haven't paid up.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I might be hungry while on campus and without pocket money. I think the university should foresee that I forgot to bring a snack and provide free food for me. A bonus would be that people who don't even attend the university but are feeling a bit peckish could stop in for a snack, as well.

 

Then again one is allowed to borrow money and get grants that can be applied to the on campus food plans. 

[SKL]

My point is that we DO know that SOME college students can't afford them. That is a problem. I am not suggesting that free sanitary products are handed out to everyone indiscriminately, but that those who cannot afford them should be able to get them somewhere for free. Or rather, it would be awesome if they could. Again, did you see Sparkly's posts? It was obviously no to all of the above for her. That really sucks.

 

I don't think anyone disagrees with this.

 

I think it was wrong of people to jump all over Sparkly as if her poverty as a student was her fault.  She was in a difficult situation.  So are many other students.  I would rather these people get the help they need.  I am 100% thankful that there was a way for me (and my siblings) to get an education despite the fact that my family didn't have the financial resources to pay up front.

 

I believe in targeted assistance for people who need the help.  It is a much better way of spreading the funds available to fix real world problems.  Many people have given excellent suggestions here.  I'm really glad for this discussion because of that.

 

But what Miss Columbia Student did was make a mistake, and put her energies into finding a way to blame The Establishment.  She forgot to pack part of her large supply of protection into her brand-new backpack, and that is the fault of the Administration.  This is a character flaw, not a leadership quality.  When my 9yo starts playing the blame game, I call her on it.  I hope she never gets published doing that.

 

It would have been better received had the student said, "sitting there in dread made me realize that there are many poor women who have this situation often, and are very limited in their ability to plan to avoid it.  Some such women may even be students in our university.  In sympathy, I suggest that we look into ways to alleviate that problem."  Now, that would be "enlightenment."

[Tsuga]

I think you are failing to see the difference in making use of something that is freely provided and demanding that something be provided so that you can use it.

 

Because there isn't a difference.

 

Nothing is "freely provided". You're using the hard work, negotiation and goodwill of everyone who actually realizes the need and makes it happen, and saying "Oh I didn't ask for it!"

 

But someone did. Someone asked on your behalf.

 

Nothing you are getting from this country was gotten because we love you so much. Not the voting machines. Nothing. 100% of it was negotiated and fought for. Remember that next time you drive on a road. Someone opposed it and you're using taxes that someone else didn't want to pay.

 

If you truly think it's immoral to use items for free, which someone wasn't 100% behind, the guilt should be crushing your you need to move to someplace where there is no functioning government.

 

The question is not whether or not you are using stuff without paying the full cost that you could pay as an individual, because you are.

 

The question is how are tampons different in any relevant sense from toilet paper, soap, running water, and hot water, and any other sanitation we provide in public restrooms?

 

You cannot pretend you and your children don't benefit from society's setting things up for you. The rich benefit much more than the poor, simply because they have more to lose.

 

 

 

if your home catches on fire they'll rescue the people

 

I have an idea. If those people didn't pay they should go to jail until they pay off their debt.

 

Fair?

[Cindy in FL.]

Cindy, your exact words were "Toilet paper and paper towels are in a different category." Now you're trying to backtrack like you never meant that, and of course you'd bring your own if they stopped stocking it, but that's not what you said to start with.

 

And you know what? You're allowed to make demands and petition business and universities. Even completely unreasonable demands like "I demand that the faculty all do funny jigs at 11:53pm every Thursday". They can respond as they see fit. If they don't do what you like, you have a right to take your business elsewhere. You don't have to just sit down and take whatever they see fit to dish out.

Yep. I certainly wouldn't attend a university that wasn't dishing out free tampons and pads.

[Cindy in FL.]

Yeah, how they're affording college I don't know. I was listening to Sparkly's story and assuming there must be more like her. I didn't go to college, and I'm not from the US so I don't know how the system works over there. If things like tampons, a lack of public transport, and fees for the transportation of college sports teams stand in the way of someone completing college though, I think that sucks.

My kids are attending the local communiity college because that's what we can afford. They/we will have to go in to debt to go on to get their 4 year degrees. My dh works two jobs, my kids and I all work. It isn't/won't be easy and it may take more than four years if they have to work more to make it through.

[6packofun]

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?

 

 

I TOTALLY agree!

[SKL]

Oh and not to mention if you don't clean blood right away it never comes out.  NEVER.  BTDT 100,000 times. 

 

So nice.  Pads that are pre bloodied.  How fun. 

 

Well, really, so what?  I bought cloth pads when I was not poor, online, so I could order the colors I wanted.  (Yes, I am sure this is a privilege.)  I ordered them all with brown liners because hello.  I am not going to fuss over getting blood stains out just so I can bleed on them some more.  Nobody else is looking at the liners of my pads.  I don't understand why anyone would buy make or buy re-usable pads of any color that would show blood stains.  [ETA for clarity, I DO wash them, but I don't care if some "stains" remain despite being washed.]

 

I do agree that the dorm bathroom is not a comfortable place to clean pads.  I remember having a dormmate leave her underwear in the sink, and I thought it was gross.  Cloth pads aren't a solution for women in dorms, unless there is some trick I don't know about.

Edited March 17, 2016 by SKL

[Bluegoat]

As far as the washing pads in public washrooms - I think it is  different for us than for many people in developing nations.  The social norms around privacy and hygeine are already going to be different in those circumstances.

Edited March 17, 2016 by Bluegoat

[Cindy in FL.]

Why not?

I think Marbel covered this well up thread. I'll let her words speak for me.

[SKL]

I wonder how people would feel about carrying around personal clothes for peeing and pooping.  You know they could wipe their butt and then put it in a plastic bag.  Then on laundry day...wash the stuff off.  They can carry that around in their purse.  Men will need purses and women who don't carry purses will need purses.  So next thing you know the purse industry is BOOMING.  This could be great for the economy. 

 

Carrying flushable tissue is a good idea, because you never know....

 

Cloth diaper / wipey users do put the used ones in a bag and bring them home and wash them.  Cloth pad users do the same when they need to change.  People used to do it with cloth hankies.  Heck, paper products are all pretty recent in history.  No, I do not want to carry around poopy cloths, I appreciate having toilet paper when I need it most of the time.  But then again, I am used to the idea that toilet paper in public bathrooms is of varying quality.  Most of it is really poor.  Do we really want institutions to decide the type and quality of our pads and tampons?  Wouldn't it be better to have a targeted way of providing them to people who need this assistance, while assuming that most people are cool with buying their own?

[SKL]

Really.

 

Roads. Streetlamps. Water fountains. Public garbage cans. Public restrooms at parks. You don't use those? Traffic lights. The electricity at stores you visit. National park visitors centers (no your gift does not pay for that, it's a tiny percentage of the amount, it's just there to deter people from living in the parks). The police. Urgent response (you have to pay for the ambulance but not the medics, where I live). NETWORK TELEVISION.

 

I could go on and on and on. Like you have no idea how much we get for free. Tampons? You're drawing the line there?

 

Libraries? You don't go to the library, and CERTAINLY not use their restroom or their toilet paper? Do you have any idea how much work and labor goes into maintaining that? I mean any idea.

 

Those are not free.  Those cost me tens of thousands of dollars per year.

[JadeOrchidSong]

You keep either a one gallon ziplock or some other small water/smell proof container to store used ones in until it's time to clean them. This way it doesn't smell or get seen by everyone unless they go looking for it.

 

Then you wash them separately. Either in the wash by themselves or with your other bleachable laundry. Or you could wash them in the dorm sink each night. I'm sure more than one gal has had to do the same with a pair of undies or pants when leaks happen.

 

It is very cheap and really not that hard to do. It's what millions of women all over the world have to do.

 

Being able to use disposable pads and diapers is a HUGE luxurious privilege most of the world can't afford.

100% agree!

Many countries in the world ARE poorer than the U. S. and have more POORER people including college students. They do not even have free toilet paper and have been surviving fine.

I live in the U. S. and I handwash my pads. If enough poor college students wash their own pads by hands, then it will be normal. Being grossed out by it is also a luxury that many people cannot afford.

If students really want tampons in bathrooms, they can petition for colleges to buy in bulk and pay for them when they need one and the price will be cheaper than when they buy them as individuals. This will be the comprise to make it not free but not too expensive either, unless the students demands diversity/variety of tampons.

[SKL]

Yep, but I was responding to SKL's time frame. I'm guessing she was in college in the early-mid 80's. So a family of moderate income with 6 to 8 family members would more than likely have qualified for pretty decent federal or perhaps even state grants.

 

Not sure where you got your information, but your assumption about what aid was available to families like mine is wrong.

 

The country was in recession then, unemployment was high, so maybe that was a factor.  I don't know, but I do know how much aid I got that I didn't have to pay back plus high interest and guarantee fees.

Edited March 17, 2016 by SKL

[JadeOrchidSong]

The boxes of pads are not free. The cost will go to either taxpayers or student tuition. Nothing is free. If it is free, it means someone else has to pay for it.

 

Street lamps, roads, parks, libraries, and toilet paper are not free. They are paid by your tax dollars. They maybe free to you if you don't have income and don't pay any tax, but they are paid by other people for you in that case.

Edited March 17, 2016 by JadeOrchidSong

[SKL]

Just looking at this from another angle - I want my daughters to learn to be prepared.  I don't want them to assume there will always be a free pad available if they screw up.  It's great that there often is a solution when we find ourselves surprised, but do you want your daughters to learn to leave their personal hygiene up to the nanny state?  I don't.

 

Again, poverty is a different issue.

[JadeOrchidSong]

Those are not free. Those cost me tens of thousands of dollars per year.

So true!