SHREVEPORT – For the third consecutive year, the LSUS Office of Diversity, Equity and Community Engagement offers a hygiene closet for students in need of various hygiene products.
Thanks to donations from The Links Incorporated, a nonprofit organization of African-American woman who have served the Shreveport community since 1973, the LSUS DICE office is able to provide hygiene products to students.
Dr. Kenna Franklin, an LSUS assistant vice provost who is also a Links member, mentioned to her Links sisters coming across several needy students on campus to her Links sisters.
“They said, ‘Well why don’t we stock (your closet) for you?,” Franklin said. “It’s tragic that students may not be able to access these products, so we’ve made them available in our office.
“We’re grateful for our community individuals who want to meet the needs of our students. Anytime a barrier is identified, they become quick partners to help students overcome that. Many of our members had challenges in meeting essential needs in college themselves, and they have been more than happy to help.”
The Links Incorporated hosts a drive every year to collect hygiene items for LSUS students.
Available products include toothbrushes, mouthwash, soap, deodorant, sanitary wipes, feminine hygiene products, washcloths and towels among other items.
Students can access these products in the DICE office, located on the first floor of the University Center on campus.
“We never want anybody to feel embarrassed about having a need,” Franklin said. “We provide paper bags so nobody can see what a person is collecting.
“We don’t collect any names or what they’ve selected.”
