Student Union
State Law Bars Yale's Plan B Vending Machines
Yale University will not follow dozens of other schools nationwide and dispense contraception pills through campus vending machines, because it is barred by state law.
"The wellness machines will not be available on campus," wrote Karen N. Peart, director of external communications at the Yale Office of Public Affairs and Communications, to VOA via email. Connecticut "state laws currently do not permit over-the-counter medications to be sold through these machines."
But Peart asserted that Yale would continue to provide Plan B, often referred to as the "morning-after pill," free to students through the campus health center, along with the Paragard IUD, another emergency contraceptive option, and comprehensive counseling regarding contraception and reproductive health.
"These products have been available at the Yale Health Pharmacy for many years before a group of students originated the idea of piloting a wellness machine," Peart wrote.
Access growing nationwide
Yale would have joined a growing list of universities in the United States to install machines that offer condoms, emergency contraception and lubricant last month. Contraception pills under the commercial name Plan B can be taken up to five days after intercourse to thwart conception.
"The point of this is to make Plan B more accessible and to make medications, in general, more accessible," said Ileana Valdez, a Yale sophomore who spearheaded the effort, according to Yale Daily News. "Hopefully this will set a precedent for more machines to show up around campus that contain other things so Yale students don't have to go out of their way to go to [convenience stores], especially students from the new colleges."
Plan B, or levonorgestrel, can reduce the risk of pregnancy by up to 89 percent, according to the Plan B One-Step website. "The sooner it's taken, the better it works," says the website.
According to the website of the Mayo Clinic, one of the largest not-for-profit academic health systems in the United States, levonorgestrel is an option when intercourse did not include physical, hormonal or device protection such as condoms, birth-control pills taken daily and over time, or intrauterine devices.
"Morning-after pills can help prevent pregnancy if you've had unprotected sex," the website explains. "Morning-after pills do not end a pregnancy that has implanted. They work primarily by delaying or preventing ovulation. ... [this] isn't the same as mifepristone (Mifeprex), also known as RU-486 or the abortion pill [which] terminates an established pregnancy — one in which the fertilized egg has attached to the uterine wall and has begun to develop."
Student health services
A survey by the American College Health Association conducted throughout 2015 showed 79 percent of surveyed colleges and universities offered Plan B or over-the-counter emergency contraceptives to students through their student health services.
The list of schools that offer levonorgestrel in vending machines is growing, including colleges and universities from large to small, and driven by student demand. A number of University of California campuses, Dartmouth College, and Stanford University were among some of the first.
A fall survey showed more than 75 percent of students questioned said they were unaware that Yale Health offers emergency contraception around the clock and for free, the Yale Daily News reported.
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. sold Plan B One-Step and other emergency contraception products to Foundation Consumer Healthcare in a $675 million sale in November 2017. The contraception, which previously required a doctor's prescription, became available without a prescription to women 17 and older, although some schools will dispense the drug to males.
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Trump administration opens antisemitism inquiries at 5 colleges, including Columbia and Berkeley
The Trump administration is opening new investigations into allegations of antisemitism at five U.S. universities including Columbia and the University of California, Berkeley, the Education Department announced Monday.
It's part of President Donald Trump's promise to take a tougher stance against campus antisemitism and deal out harsher penalties than the Biden administration, which settled a flurry of cases with universities in its final weeks. It comes the same day the Justice Department announced a new task force to root out antisemitism on college campuses.
In an order signed last week, Trump called for aggressive action to fight anti-Jewish bias on campuses, including the deportation of foreign students who have participated in pro-Palestinian protests.
Along with Columbia and Berkeley, the department is now investigating the University of Minnesota, Northwestern University and Portland State University. The cases were opened using the department's power to launch its own civil rights reviews, unlike the majority of investigations, which stem from complaints.
Messages seeking comment were left with all five universities.
A statement from the Education Department criticized colleges for tolerating antisemitism after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and a wave of pro-Palestinian protests that followed. It also criticized the Biden administration for negotiating "toothless" resolutions that failed to hold schools accountable.
"Today, the Department is putting universities, colleges, and K-12 schools on notice: this administration will not tolerate continued institutional indifference to the wellbeing of Jewish students on American campuses," said Craig Trainor, the agency's acting assistant secretary for civil rights.
The department didn't provide details about the inquiries or how it decided which schools are being targeted. Presidents of Columbia and Northwestern were among those called to testify on Capitol Hill last year as Republicans sought accountability for allegations of antisemitism. The hearings contributed to the resignation of multiple university presidents, including Columbia's Minouche Shafik.
An October report from House Republicans accused Columbia of failing to punish pro-Palestinian students who took over a campus building, and it called Northwestern's negotiations with student protesters a "stunning capitulation."
House Republicans applauded the new investigations. Representative Tim Walberg, chair of the Education and Workforce Committee, said he was "glad that we finally have an administration who is taking action to protect Jewish students."
Trump's order also calls for a full review of antisemitism complaints filed with the Education Department since Oct. 7, 2023, including pending and resolved cases from the Biden administration. It encourages the Justice Department to take action to enforce civil rights laws.
Last week's order drew backlash from civil rights groups who said it violated First Amendment rights that protect political speech.
The new task force announced Monday includes the Justice and Education departments along with Health and Human Services.
"The Department takes seriously our responsibility to eradicate this hatred wherever it is found," said Leo Terrell, assistant attorney general for civil rights. "The Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism is the first step in giving life to President Trump's renewed commitment to ending anti-Semitism in our schools."
- By VOA News
STEM, business top subjects for international students
The Times of India breaks down the most popular subjects for international students to study in the U.S.
STEM and business lead the pack. Read the full story here. (January 2025)
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Safety and visa difficulties among misconceptions about US colleges
U.S. News & World report addresses some of the misconceptions about U.S. colleges and universities, including the difficulty of getting a visa.
Read the full story here. (January 2025)
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Work opportunities help draw international students to US schools
US News & World Report details the three top factors in foreign students' decision to study in the U.S. They include research opportunities and the reputation of U.S. degrees. Read the full story here. (December 2024)
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British student talks about her culture shock in Ohio
A British student who did a year abroad at Bowling Green State University in Ohio talks about adjusting to life in America in a TikTok video, Newsweek magazine reports.
Among the biggest surprises? Portion sizes, jaywalking laws and dorm room beds.
Read the full story here. (December 2024)
