Student activists at the University of Arizona issued a list of demands on Tuesday that included urging the university to provide free tampons and menstrual pads on campus. The demand was immediately mocked by some conservative commentators (“campus crybullies demand free tampons,” the Breitbart headline reads), but the request is not unusual. It’s a call that is becoming increasingly common on college campuses, and one that some institutions are starting to answer. Last week, Columbia University announced that it would begin providing free tampons in its health center after spring break. In an email to students, Ben Mankansi, president of the Columbia College Student Council, said the decision followed weeks of conversations with female students and campus officials, and that the products may eventually be provided in restrooms, as well. Mankansi first publicly proposed the idea during a council meeting last month.

March 11, 2016 ・ From Inside Higher Ed