At a meeting of the University Assembly last Tuesday, the body voted on (and approved) the Plan B vending machine pilot program.
The “Dependable and Inclusive Supply of Pharmaceutical and Essential Nonprescription Supplies” (DISPENSE) resolution would, as reported by Enzo De Oliveira ‘25 per the Cornell Review, “include stocking 1-2 vending machines with Plan B type contraceptives available for purchase.”
The Noyes and Robert Purcell community centers on West and North, respectively, would be the first targets of the pilot program.
The UA discussed the resolution on February 7, but approval was tabled by UA Chairman Duncan Cady ‘23 until the February 21 meeting, largely on account of typos and mistakes in the text. For example, the UA recently clarified that only non-prescription drugs will be sold in the vending machines.
At the meeting last Tuesday, the UA approved the motion without much discussion or debate. In a vote of 15 in favor with none opposed and one abstention, the resolution passed. Cady described the process as “very quick.”
The resolution has now cleared two of the five shared governance committees. If the resolution is approved by the Employee Assembly, Faculty Senate, and Graduate and Professional Student Assembly (GPSA), it will come before the Board of Trustees. Of those, the GPSA discussed the resolution at their meeting last Monday. The other two bodies have not yet put Plan B vending machines on their agendas.
The program, which would provide one or two vending machines full of non-prescription drugs to start, would be run through the Cornell Health Pharmacy. Among the motion’s many sponsors is Planned Parenthood Generation Action at Cornell, an independent student organization.
PPGA began the push for Plan B vending machines with a Qualtrics survey attracting 711 responses. Of the respondents, more than 53% had accessed emergency contraception in the past, and near 70% “strongly agreed” they would consider doing so in the future. However, neither PPGA, the SA, nor the UA have disclosed the survey’s methodology, raising concerns about sampling bias.
Among the details left unresolved by all three shared governance bodies that have considered the resolution are funding and operation. Members of the SA that sponsored the bill say there is a grant to fund the initiative. Cornell Health’s pharmacy is the operator designated by the resolution, though Cornell Health has not stated whether or not it would run the program if passed.
With little dissent and increasing interest, the resolution seems almost certain to enjoy consideration by the remaining shared governance bodies.
