East Lansing Free Emergency Contraceptives (ELFreeEC) is now providing free emergency contraceptives and other sexual health items to the community. The organization, founded by MSU students Harsna Chahal, Mackenzie Lovell, Julia Walters, and Rylee Warner, aims to make emergency contraceptives accessible and affordable to all MSU students and the surrounding community.  

Plan B or a "Wellness Kit” are available for pickup at the locations below. These campus resources prioritize privacy and confidentiality, so staff will not monitor selections.  

• Gender & Sexuality Campus Center (Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.) 
• Women*s Student Services (Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Friday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.) 
• Center for Gender in a Global Context (Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.) 

“[W*SS] has a pantry in the back where you just go and grab any supplies like pregnancy tests and emergency contraception,” said Chahal. “It’s very private so we’re not really watching to see if you’re grabbing things, but more so there to direct you to the pantry if you need.” 

Individuals can also opt in to meeting with a volunteer at an agreed upon public location in East Lansing or on campus. To do this, individuals need to fill out the Free Emergency Contraceptive Request located on the ELFreeEC website or Instagram. This method is confidential, and any information will be deleted after the meet up. 

Empowering Students 

While ELFreeEC was formed in fall 2023 by four students, the organization has now grown to 10 volunteers, ranging from first-year students to second-year medical students. The group has done a lot of work on campus and plans to expand its offerings. 

“Since October, we’ve handed out 1,807 Plan Bs, which comes out to $90,350 that we’ve saved students, and that’s only the Plan B,” said Warner. “That number has skyrocketed in the last two weeks because we had some anti-abortion protesters on campus, and we were able to handout over 256 Plan B’s just by being on campus.” 

ELFreeEC goes beyond Plan B, offering a wider range of free items including menstrual products, sexual health products, pregnancy tests, and even food. They also go beyond immediate needs, working to ensure the longevity of affordable and accessible emergency contraceptives and other sexual health products. 

“A great analogy we like to bring to this is $50 is a lot — my utility bill last month cost roughly $32,” said Chahal. “That kind of money is so expensive because we’re students, we’re not full-time employees. $50 is a lot. That pays for someone’s utilities.” 

Expanding Access 

The American Society for Emergency Contraceptives (ASEC) is a national organization that envisions a world where everyone has access to affordable emergency contraceptives. ASEC launched the Emergency Contraception for Every Campus project to empower student advocates. Through this project, ELFreeEC can provide individuals easy access to emergency contraceptives. 

“We submit a form every single month requesting as much Plan B as we want, and there’s really no limit to it,” said Lovell. “It’s a really good resource.”  

With the support of this project as well as MSU administration and stakeholders, ELFreeEC is working to install a wellness vending machine on campus by May.  

“Our optimal location that we’re looking at would be the MSU Union,” said Walters. “It would be accessible to students, and it also would be available past the normal business hours, which is a really big concern of ours.” 

The wellness vending machine would contain reduced price Plan Bs, condoms, personal lubricant, Tylenol, and additional wellness materials and products, providing students with the access they need. 

Get Involved 

ELFreeEC works to ensure long-term access to affordable sexual healthcare for all students. To learn more about ELFreeEC and to get involved with their student advocacy efforts, visit their Instagram or website.