From Connecticut College’s The College Voice:
On Nov. 2, students and administrators gathered in the lobby of Cro to celebrate the launch of free menstrual health products in select bathrooms on campus. The pilot program, spearheaded by Emma Horst-Martz ’18, was implemented in collaboration with SGA, the administration and student health services. Although nearly 86 percent of women report experiencing their period in public without easy access to needed menstrual supplies, few colleges currently provide students with free pads and tampons. If her pilot program is institutionalized, Horst-Martz noted in her speech to supporters, Conn may emerge as one of the first colleges in the U.S. to distribute menstrual products with administrative financial backing. * * *
Conn’s tampon and pad pilot program recognizes the financial burden of menstruation. To purchase menstrual supplies costs an average $18,171 over the length of one’s life. The sales tax imposed on sanitary products, the so-called “tampon tax” or “pink tax,” has been dismantled in only a handful of states. Most states tax tampons and pads as luxury items even though they are, in fact, necessities. Students struggling to pay for school, Horst-Martz says, may face difficulties allocating money toward necessary toiletries.
Read the full article here.
