A thank you to Geneseo’s administration

Photo courtesy of Managing Editor, Kendall Cruise

This new vending machine, located in the mailroom, offers necessary supplies to Geneseo students at absolutely no cost, and students can access it independently.

Thanks to SUNY Geneseo’s administration, our campus has emergency contraceptives in vending machines. Emergency contraceptive vending machines foster support and engagement with reproductive knowledge. The ability to access emergency contraceptives across campus supports a safe and inclusive campus environment for the SUNY Geneseo student body. 

In New York State, 1.2 million people live in a contraceptive desert. This means that these individuals lack access to health centers that provide a comprehensive range of contraceptives. Placing wellness vending machines on campus increases accessibility to emergency contraceptives for students without the need to reach a pharmacy or see a healthcare provider. 

Additionally, making an appointment with a healthcare provider can be extremely difficult. Often, you already have to be a patient at a given office to receive their services. As students, however, many may live hours from their hometowns and local health centers. This means that providing adequate access to emergency contraceptives and other related services on a college campus is essential for student well-being. 

SUNY Geneseo's wellness vending machine is located on the first floor of the MacVittie College Union, outside of the mailroom. Having emergency contraceptives in vending machines significantly expands the hours students can access them and their wellness products. On weekdays and weekends, the Union is open until 11:00 PM, providing more extended hours and days per week for students to access these resources. 

These machines do not only stock only emergency contraceptives but also menstrual products, condoms, over-the-counter medications, first aid items, COVID tests, pregnancy tests, and fentanyl test strips that students may not otherwise be able to afford or access. This machine is stocked weekly to provide ongoing supplies to the student body. These products are of no additional cost as the student’s health fees cover them. This is significant because students do not have to worry about paying out of pocket for these products, which may otherwise cause financial distress. 

There is also a privacy concern around emergency contraceptive access. Students may not want to inform others of their need for emergency contraceptives or services related to sexual health. Placing the vending machine directly on campus allows students to take what they need in a private, non-intrusive way. This provides peace of mind, ensuring that individuals can access the resources they need when they need them most, without hesitation. 

In addition to SUNY Geneseo’s wellness vending machines, our campus’s Center for Sexual Health and Wellness provides birth control services (Intrauterine devices, or IUDs, and Nexplanon implants), emergency contraception, exams (pap, pelvic, breast, and testicular), sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing/treatment, rapid human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and Hepatitis C screening (counseling and results in 20-30 minutes), pregnancy testing and options counseling, natural family planning, pre-conception and reproductive life plan information, and complete referral service. 

This office is located within the South Village Health Center two days a week: Tuesdays, 1:00 PM to 4:30 PM, and Fridays, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. 

Providing services that promote sexual health and well-being is especially important on a college campus. Students deserve affordable, private, and accessible healthcare while earning an education. As a New York Birth Control Access Project (NYBCAP) advocate and someone who has faced barriers to accessing birth control, the wellness vending machine is significant to me. I am proud to be a student of one of the 16 campuses across New York State that prioritize and encourage access to emergency contraception.