Take-a-Tampon, Leave-a-Tampon

Take a Tampon, Leave a Tampon

Posted on September 29, 2011

The McKendree Review

The problem with this campus (McKendree University) is the lack of feminine hygiene products. Young college women sometimes forget to bring such items with them or their “time” comes unexpectedly. This is when the tampon dispensers in the restrooms become saviors; unfortunately, the dispensers at McKendree are often empty.

How do we solve this problem? Complaining to the people in charge could work. However, given all the new things this year, menstruation is not the utmost concern in everybody’s minds. No one can blame them. It is hard for others to sympathize unless they have experienced firsthand the awkwardness of starting one’s “time” in the middle of the day and being unable to make it back to their apartment or dorm room. This is on top of cramps, bloating, and general crankiness.

This may seem like a problem for only the women at McKendree, but it is actually a problem for everyone. If a girl has to search for a tampon or hope someone has one on her, she might miss or be late to her class(es). This creates a distraction for the classroom and the overall learning environment and it creates a problem for the people on campus, who must deal with angry women without tampons.

It is time to find a solution. I suggest a Take-a-Tampon, Leave-a-Tampon policy, like the penny system at the gas station. It would involve putting unused tampons in a universal box in the girls’ restrooms. Let us lack tampons no longer!

MY THOUGHTS: How about families in the US who cannot afford to purchase tampons and other feminine care products such as those on food stamps? Though not the same problem as the young ladies are experiencing at this University, it reminds me that I must try and focus time and effort to draw attention to this issue. Does anyone have data on the impact the lack of hygiene supplies have on tweens and teens in the US?