For many students, the cost of essential items, such as food, clothes and personal hygiene products, can become a heavy financial burden. For some students, the added expense of items like bras only increases the financial strain.
“The Women’s Center offers several tangible resources for any student who has a need including period products, personal hygiene products, second-hand bras, winter outerwear and safe-sex products. We rely on collaborations and partnerships to host drives for these items,” said Abigail Cox, the director of the Women’s Center.
Students looking to take advantage of these resources can do so by visiting the center, located on campus at Suite C102 in the Oakley Applied Science building during their business hours. The center is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The resources are available during the fall and spring semesters during normal business hours–no appointment necessary.
“After the pandemic, we had some sororities who partnered with us to help get donations and build (a) stock,” Cox said. “It’s really taken off since then.”
The problem resources like the Women’s Center frequently face is the lack of awareness of the resources and their availability. Despite advertising the various resources, general awareness remains low.
“I think people have a hard time walking into offices that they’re not familiar with to ask questions,” Cox said. “The biggest thing is making sure people have the information they need and have access to resources.”
The Women’s Center offers students second-hand bras from a donation-built supply in what the Women’s Center calls the bar closet.
“When I first started working here in 2013, one of my student workers and I had a conversation about how there aren’t many places in Murray to shop for bras, especially for larger sizes, and how expensive they can be,” Cox said. “We talked about how, when students come to college, their bodies often change, and (how) it’s hard for them to access affordable bras.”
Daniela Avila, senior sociology major, said she would have used the resources sooner had she known it was available. Avila wouldn’t have known the resources were available if she wasn’t required to volunteer at the Women’s Center for a class.
“As women, we (sometimes) outgrow our bras,” Avila said. “It’s important to know that we have resources like this available.”
The bra closet is open during regular office hours, offering students the opportunity to receive up to two free second-hand bras. Supplied solely by donations, the Women’s Center encourages donations of new or gently used bras to further support the initiative.
The Women’s Center can be found on Instagram at @msu.womenscenter. Additionally, students can sign up for their monthly newsletter by visiting their page on the Murray State website.
