hello, sorry for the inconveniece we are currently stocking the restrooms. thank you for bringing this problem to our attention.

[yeah. that's it.]

I’m not stopping, though. There’s still work to be done. Immediate problem has been semi-addressed, so now I can get back to class – but there is still more to do.

To: Mr. —, Union Facilities Manager

CC: Ms. —, Director, Carolina Women’s Center
Dr. —, Chair, UNC Department of Women’s Studies

Dear Mr. —:

I hope you are in the best of health and spirits.

This is my second attempt to contact you about a very important subject: keeping the feminine products machines in Union bathrooms continually stocked. My original email is below; I anticipate hearing from you within the next few days.

I’ve asked my friends to keep track of bathrooms they visit around campus in the next few days and see if the feminine products machines there are stocked. I hope that this is not a campus-wide problem, though I fear that it may be.

I do intend to contact campus organizations and see that this issue is addressed, campus-wide. As I stated earlier, keeping feminine products machines stocked in bathrooms around campus is an essential part of making UNC a supportive environment for everyone.

Thank you for your consideration. I await your response.

My letter to the Carolina Union Facilities Manager, dated January 7th, 2008. No response yet, seven days later.

To: Mr. —, Carolina Union Facilities Manager
CC: Carolina Women’s Center

To Whom it May Concern:

I write to you to raise a point of serious concern regarding the feminine products machines in Union bathrooms. Earlier this afternoon, I was in one of the Union bathrooms and found myself needing a sanitary napkin. However, the feminine products machine in the bathroom was completely empty. I proceeded to check two other Union bathrooms and those machines were also empty. I then went to the Union desk where two female employees were sitting; they were very sympathetic when I explained the problem, but of course, they could not do anything but point me to Student Stores to buy a pack of pads. They both commented that it seemed the Union wasn’t very good at keeping the machines stocked in general and I too remember the same problem from when I was an undergraduate at UNC.

This is rather an embarrassing email to write, but I feel that it is an important one, and I hope that other women will benefit from my request to you. It is an extremely unfortunate situation that when a woman is in need of a sanitary napkin or tampon, she must leave the bathroom, perhaps search in other bathrooms or ask other women for a pad, and end up being forced to buy an entire pack instead of being able to get a single product from the empty machines in the bathroom. It can be a degrading, embarrassing, and frustrating situation.

I understand that the semester has not started yet and things may not be up and running, but the timing of the academic semester has nothing to do with the facilities being stocked. Feminine product machines simply must be stocked with both sanitary napkins *and* tampons at *all* times. I do not know if the same situation exists in other UNC buildings, but I hope that every bathroom on campus has a feminine product machine and that every machine is stocked at all times. This is a simple step in creating an stable and supportive environment for all who live, work, and learn at UNC.

Thank you for your consideration.

Taiyyaba Qureshi