Last November, many Kenyon students wrestled with the news of President Donald Trump’s presidential victory, expressing anxiety over what the next four years will entail. In light of this anxiety, several campus organizations have looked to provide a supportive space for students, especially as the Trump administration discusses future actions regarding reproductive healthcare. One driving organization behind this advocacy on the Hill is Kenyon’s chapter of Planned Parenthood Generation Action (PPGA).
PPGA has been essential to student advocacy on campus for many years. In 2023, PPGA partnered with the company Aunt Flow to make period products permanently available in bathrooms on campus. Before that, in 2020, PPGA sponsored a clothing and donation drive for New Directions Women’s Shelter in Mount Vernon. A week after Trump’s inauguration in January, the organization emailed the Kenyon community reassuring them that it would continue to champion reproductive rights and challenge Trump’s anti-abortion rhetoric.
In the email, PPGA condemned Trump’s recent decisions: “We are disturbed by Trump’s recent move to take down reproductiverights.gov and staunchly oppose the transphobic comments made at his inauguration.” In an interview with the Collegian, PPGA President Delaney Klace ’25 acknowledged the anxiety students are feeling as a result of these decisions, but articulated PPGA’s goal to remain resilient. “PPGA wants to acknowledge the fatigue our peers may be experiencing and will offer programming that allows us to resist but also provides spaces to come together and recover,” she said.
This semester, PPGA has planned visits from guest speakers and continued conversations with the Cox Health and Counseling Center on making safer sex supplies more accessible. PPGA will also be holding its annual Valentine’s Day party at the Horn Gallery on Feb. 13. This event will include live performances, crafts, cookie decorating and a raffle. All proceeds from this event will go to Motherful, an Ohio-based organization for single mothers, and the Black Women’s Health Imperative.
To Klace, frequent and relevant programs are imperative to fostering a welcoming atmosphere on campus. “To be honest, the last few years have felt a bit dystopian in terms of restrictions on reproductive rights, so surrounding ourselves with people who feel just as passionately about these issues can be empowering and comforting. The power of organizing is real and when our systems fail to represent our values, we have no choice but to come together and make our voices heard,” she said.
Several Kenyon students echoed support for PPGA, contending that advocacy groups like PPGA are essential. “I think it’s important to have these groups on campus so people know what their options are. I think that promotes the safety and well-being of students. If students are going through something tough or difficult, they’ll feel safe and won’t feel ostracized by the community,” Maggie Shope ’28 said.
Similarly, Zoe Berman ’27 believes PPGA is an important resource for students: “When the government becomes something some people don’t want it to be, we need groups to fight for the future and fight for people.”
PPGA meets biweekly at the Crozier Center for Women to create a space where students can come together to fight for reproductive freedom for all. To learn more about their cause or to get involved, students can email ppga.club@kenyon.edu or check out their Instagram, @kenyonppga.