Last Friday, I walked up to a table full of temporary tattoos, stickers, face paint and members of the Sexual Health Educators (SHEs) and Wellesley for Reproductive Justice (WRJ). But they weren’t just there to put butterfly tattoos on each other or eat delicious food; they were also celebrating the opening of the contraceptive vending machine in Billings.
If you enter Billings and venture up the stairs to the famous massage chair, you’ll see the machine nestled in the corner, stocked with not just emergency contraceptives, but also pads, tampons, pain relief and more. It isn’t monitored, it’s restocked and it’s free. All one has to do is grab a coin from the basket below the machine, select what they need, and leave Billings with their supplies in hand.
The vending machine has been in the works for a while now. It was first introduced at the Mar. 4 2024 Senate meeting, according to Wellesley’s official Senate reports. Presented by Students-at-Large and Spring 2024 SHEs Co-Presidents Sofia Hernandez Santillan ’24 and Coco Plasencia ’24, they requested a one-time recreation grant of $2,673 to establish a free contraceptive vending machine on campus. Advocates for Youth, a non profit organization, had donated a supply of Plan B to Wellesley, consisting of 300+ packets of emergency contraception, and the vending machine would allow students to access the emergency contraception from 8a.m. to 12a.m. in Billings.
In an Instagram statement put out by the SHEs on April 18, they explained that getting the official approval to purchase the vending machine was a result of the combined work of SHEs from the last few years and present SHEs, Wellesley for Reproductive Justice, Wellesley for Community Care, as well as many members of Wellesley’s college government. Current SHEs Co-President Anneliese Peerbolt ’26 said at the opening that they “are super proud of [Coco and Sophia],” and noted the two won the Camellia Student Leadership Award for Creative Leadership for their work on the machine last spring.
This hard work came to fruition on Sept. 27, when the vending machine officially opened in Billings. I asked some of those attending and hosting the event about their feelings surrounding this new sexual health resource on campus.
WRJ Co-President Allison Liu ’26 expressed how excited she was to open the vending machine, and made sure to emphasize that it cost nothing to get the emergency contraception. Erin Pav ’27, a member of WRJ’s Eboard, echoed that remark, saying, “We’re just really trying to raise awareness that it’s free and open.”
While this vending machine is impactful for those already at Wellesley, it has also meant a lot to some first years in particular as they settle into Wellesley. Jane Baymar ’28 was at the event and expressed how happy she is to have these kinds of resources for reproductive health so easily accessible on campus.
“I’m just so excited to be able to celebrate this amazing moment for Wellesley,” she said. “Having these resources for everyone is so important.”
As of now, the vending machine is up and available to all students. And thanks to the efforts of WRJ and SHEs, and the generous donation from Advocates for Youth, anyone can get the supplies they need to stay healthy. A win for reproductive justice, indeed.
Image credit: Phoebe Rebhorn
Contact the editor(s) responsible for this story: Diya Khanna and Phoebe Rebhorn
