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Show a OPINION 4;) VA ti, Tioe Art4c,11 Pink tax forces students to think again 0 N.0 160 0 0 0 : , , 0 4 , 0 , I amount women are charged for certain products or services. It's not a literal tax, but rather the idea that feminine products, usually pink, are more expensive than masculine products. 0 ( 0 0 5 0 4 : ! 1 i ,' , ,0 0 t ,k ot DO ' 0 V.ITE IOU -- , 0 -' ,J .Z011 lb IMP WOW. COOL. 0 0 0 , 0 0 ,.. , ,,,, BY RYANN HEINLEN AvereeRHeinlen College is a financial hurdle without factoring in the cost of living. After forking up thousands of dollars in tuition and student fees and ordering hundreds of dollars worth of textbooks, students still have to feed and clean themselves. As a female student, it can be frustrating and embarrassing when that time of the month rolls around and I can't afford a pencil, let alone a pad or tampon. There are cases where women are forced to choose between hygiene and education according to a story published by Babble coin. Men and women should be given the same opportunities to learn and grow, yet it seems manufacturers have found a monetary loophole to limit female academic success. iii k'' li.:, tY.,--71r- 1 1 :1 - 14 10 1 (0) 0 Send letters to the editor to DixieSundixie. edu. Letters to the editor are accepted and may be published in the newspaper andor dixiesunnews. corn. The guidelines for letters are as follows: d item and treating feminine hygiene products as a luxury instead of a necessity, governing bodies are telling women it is our choice to have a period. Let me make you a promise: no one signs up for this. According to taxfotmdation. org, legislators are making headway, however, and oneby-one states are choosing to exempt pads and tampons from state taxes, which is a great step in the right direction. Resources are popping up around the nation to offer female students free feminine hygiene products, like the Women's Resource Center at Dixie State University. Whereas some progress is being made to limit the unfair treatment of women when it comes to pads and tampons, there still seems to be this mysterious pink tax. It's not a literal tax, but rather the idea that feminine products, usually pink, are more expensive than Submissions should well-writte- n. Writers must include name, phone number and email address. Students should also include year in school, hometown and major. Letters are subject to editing for length, style and grammar. Letters consisting of inaccurate, libelous or highly offensive content will not be published. Letters should be submitted to dixiesundixie. edu in the body of the email, not an attachment. Letters become property of Dixie Sun News and may be published in any format. Dixie Sun News en- BY ABBY DOMAN abbydomanDSN does not edit comments. However, an editor will not post any comments that are libelous or vulgar. ungrateful. Instead of taking sides, let's look at the facts. Men's products are cheaper, sometimes for no discernable reason, and women are being taxed for items we need each month. It's easy to look at these statements and think "well what can I do about it?" Let's petition our legislators to stop taxing feminine hygiene products. Let's support brands with unisex or gender-specifproducts at equal prices. Let's support public resources that offer free feminine hygiene products to women in need. Let's offer free feminine hygiene products in public bathrooms. Big change starts with each person making smaller changes in their lives. .,, , . , , ..,, ,,,,.,,, - ,, , ,, r, n ,, t , , I Q 93-- :;,L,;:, 1 kJ c- , - ....- -- ,' - y ,,,,- -.' ,,, , t P , ....1' BUT HOW DID PEOPLE CHARGE THEIR PHONES BEFORE b b b 1752?,w ic Not going to or to 1 b MARDE1205111 t C2 , ter,,, d 4,04 m0 Over the last couple of years, the political world has turned into a battlebefore. College students, cifically those aged The Institute of Politics has been getting involved in the effort of getting college students interested in politics, though it is a fairly new and underdeveloped institution. This is only its third year on campus. lb polls Young people have the power to sway elections but they haven't used st Young voters register and vote at lower rates Registefed In 2014 Ili Voted "Any involvement 50 is good spe18-2- 25 11 2, are unique soldiers on this field in that they are the youngest, most influential and oftentimes most apathetic. Despite the apathy, the issues being debated in the world around them will influence their lives longer than any other eligible voter. For a long time, it has been known that young, eligible voters consistently do not vote. In fact, the the Census Bureau report- ed, "In every presidential election since 1964, young voters between the ages of - 18 through 24 have consistently voted at lower rates than all other age groups." This was partially attribdiscusa lively courages uted to the large population sion on its website among of elders in the country, its readers. Dixie Sun News "Daisy." It's an easy fix to just gab the men's deodorant and blue razor and be on my mem, way, but that's not the point. For so long women have had to fight for equality. Men didn't have to wait to vote or hold a government job. Today there is this idea that if a woman is fighting for equality she is being overdramatic or KZ) . e . ' gs A 01 a b Political involvement imperative to college students, November elections offer opportunity to engage ground unlike any seen be no longer than 250 words and must be masculine products. Going to the supermarket, I try to buy things as cheaply as I can I'm the stereotypical broke college student. Imagine my surprise when looking at razors and deodorant to find that almost anything marketed toward women is more expensive than identical or almost identical products geared toward men. The Washington Post has published articles analyzing why a pink scooter would be $20 more expensive than a red scooter from the same brand. For example, a set of blue Gillette disposable razors are somehow cheaper than the same amount of pink Gillette disposable razors, and the only difference being the color and that the pink ones are called , N ? much-neede- r (taLti.) 12 0 hygiene products. Support brands with unisex products. Support public resources that offer free feminine hygiene products to women in need, and offer free feminine hygiene products in public bathrooms. - ,11:711,71- I 411044. 0 Petition our legislators to stop taxing feminine By taxing a ELECTRICITY Iltw 41 TO DISCOVERY OF 1 '311 STRING? fg - I WANT RECREATE BEN FRANI4LIN'5 rouR 0 471 l)? gEI A ON Ntiurk Niaraerv.a , ) ',' 0 0 The pink tax refers to the extra t MISTI PIG, WI-I-I 1s51 1 :J::T::: 0 0 Att.:01, tet,g11171.e NO t 4 0 tSIOSHOW0M111 F41 born from the commonly referred to "baby boom." However, last year was the first time millennials had a greater potential force than the older generation, t- 0 , 65 45 to 64 25 to 44 18 to 24 as far back as the 1970s TUmout in mdterrn congressional elections 65 45 - 45 - .. t0 64 ..... , . 25 to 44 , .. ''''".m1111'ismft.i.i.wftt"wmaii18o,44 15 74 8 '82 '86 '90 '94 '98 '02 immim"iti"ela '06 '10 '14 wore 44s1 a3ottect to veto to 1972 Source US arst.s Nov: 18roar-ozt- s Gracevc Stet, INS, Los Argo 43s limes according to the Pew Research Center. It is one thing to have numbers, though, and another thing to have force; it is one thing to be eligible to vote, and another to cast your ballot. That is why this year is the perfect time to get involved in politics. Not only is the potential there to make a real, direct difference, but midterms are coming up on Nov. 6. The opportunity will be there to vote for your con- gressional representative and senator. If college students vote, the elections could turn a completely different way than what is currently predicted. According to the National Public Radio, in 2016 the outcome of elections in 10 different states could have been swayed if college students turned out to vote. involvement," Weston Zimmerman, an accounting major from DSU and president of the Institute of Politics, said. "Whatever you are doing politically is a positive thing... It's important. It touches our lives personally and it touches our lives professionally and so as long as we stay aware of that we can make those changes that we want to see." Being involved in politics can be extremely discouraging, however, and it oftentimes doesn't feel like any real difference is being made; a lot of effort can be put into a political campaign just to have it lose, the bill you've been following through Congress gets vetoed by the President, or there just seem to be too many problems for one person to fix. However, for me, there is no other option than to put the entirety of your heart into the issues you care about. The United States elections were created for the people they were created so the public could have a voice about things that affected them. If you feel as if your vote doesn't make a difference, discover why and then fight until it feels like it does. As the great philosopher Charles de Montesquieu put it, "The tyranny of a prince in an oligarchy is not so dangerous to the public welfare as the apathy of a citizen in a democracy." Apathy is a disease that has spread most disastrously to college students. I urge you to find the cure; figure out what you can get involved in, no matter what it is. Take your current interests and build on them, whether it be voting rights, education, climate change, or anything else, you can make a difference. To get involved on campus contact the Institute of Politics at their email, politics.dixie.edu or follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. You can also register to vote and find out information about upcoming elections online at voter.utah.govi. |