Matthew Esguerra, the Associated Student Government’s vice president of external affairs, entertained his fellow officers with an unofficial proposal to purchase $8,000 worth of feminine hygiene product dispensers in the popular women’s restrooms on campus.
The logistics of the proposal are still under construction, and should be officially proposed to the Board of Trustees within the next two or three weeks. Arguments over whether the hygiene products should be free or not are likely to take center stage in the coming weeks, but the board appeared excited about the policy, despite citing concerns of increasing the deficit.
“This is one of my campaign promises and I plan on sticking to it,” Esguerra said to the group of trustees.
Vice President of Finance Yeihoon Choi, Economics Club Chair Sukriti Gangopadhyay, and Isla Vista Representative Josh Oken all mentioned the $8,000 price tag as a concern, but unanimously supported the proposal and expressed commitment to getting it done with “fiscal responsibility.”
Many on the board mentioned that the machine would be sustainable if there was a low fee for each tampon and the money made from that would enable them to use some money for maintenance.
“We don’t want to have to constantly restock those, or we’re going to end up having to spend a lot of money,” Student Advocate Krystle Farmer said.
However, President Josh Villanueva capped the conversation for the day by speaking in opposition.
“Just because you’re a woman, why should you have to pay for something that male’s don’t have to pay for?” he said.
Villanueva went on, “I would use as much energy as I could to make it free, but I do understand the finances of the situation.”
“We can be a model campus to the other California community colleges,” Esguerra told The Channels. “I’m just excited to roll up my bureaucratic sleeves and get this done.”
