Dear UNE,

Why is it that if I forget a pad on campus, I’m being charged $0.50 by machines that are often clogged or empty, but condoms are free and available by the basket? We have an entire event dedicated to making it rain condoms like they’re confetti on our incoming freshman (the Sex Show.) Let’s get a little real about our demographics here. At a school with an approximate 70/30 gender split, you’d get twice the participation at an event with all you can grab pads or tampons. I love the idea of free condoms- I’m sure it leads to more safe sex and way more interesting balloon animal crafting on campus. Now, let’s do even better and put some free “feminine sanitary products” out in the women’s bathrooms.

UNE, I’m serious: help us as we plan to deal with maneuvering the economics of Patriarchy: a gender wage gap that means we will make less, penalizing luxury taxes for necessities like tampons and pads, careers that are negatively impacted by evaluations that find us less competent than our male colleagues, and family obligations that hold us back from promotions. All of these issues have economic repercussions that will lead to women paying off our college loans slower and being less able to contribute to the alumni fund. If you want your money back sooner, starting a program of free tampons might be the first step. You can help ease the cost of living as female, and reap the benefits of your own generosity.

Following up with the Sex Show, You know what else would be rad? If the Petts Center advertised that it’s medical staff is willing to briefly consult and write a prescription for the pill to college women who are scared to ask their parents/pediatrician (some of us simply haven’t switched our primary care doctor) or don’t want the control part of their birth control to be in the hands of a dude who might not know how to properly use a condom, or just refuse to wear one. We are making it so easy for the minority of people at our school to have safe sex, but free condoms offer more protection and choice to the wearer, who is often male. I love that we’re making it rain condoms. Let’s make it shower the pill and alternate forms of birth control. And when you think about it, family planning usually means the family has planned for their planned child to go to college. Help us plan to have children when we’re ready, and when they’re ready, to send them to UNE.

Sincerely,

The 71%