Melissa Jackson is a Lexington native, a country Americana musician, and a proud mom. But what most Lexington community members probably know her as is the owner of Doodles—a local Lexington restaurant that serves breakfast and lunch everyday except Mondays.
I had the rare privilege of experiencing Doodles on a Monday. As Jackson started brewing some coffee for the two of us, I looked around the empty restaurant and realized that it was something I had never seen before—Doodles empty. The restaurant on all its days of operation is usually bustling with customers and sometimes even has a line outside the door.
Not being the original owner but coming to work for Doodles two years after its opening, Jackson felt the same pull and interest that many do when first experiencing Doodles.
Doodles’s first owners were Sue Harkins and Lynda Mellin. The original concept of the restaurant came from Lillie Ruschell, a Louisiana native. Since Harkins and Mellin both also had strong ties to the state, they brought a strong presence of New Orleans cuisine to Lexington with the opening of Doodles in July 2008. This is still apparent in the menu with shrimp and grits, beignets, and various other choices.
However, another part of the menu is what gained Jackson’s interest to work for the restaurant. She was drawn to Doodles because of the locally-sourced food aspect. As she said, it’s “comfort food with a conscious.” After purchasing the restaurant two years ago, Jackson has tried to really maintain that basic ideal and to even take it a step further by building a strong relationship with Lexington.
“We try to be as engaged with the community as we can. Our staff volunteers at different events throughout the year together,” said Jackson.
Not only is the Lexington community important to her, but so is Doodles’s relationship with Transy. As Jackson explained, not a lot of collaboration was done with the school until she took over as owner. Transy’s Pi Kappa Alpha chapter had a dinner event at the restaurant a few years ago, and ever since then, Jackson has tried to build a stronger relationship between the two institutions. Jackson recently implemented a discount for any Transy student for every day of the week.
Another focus of Jackson’s since taking over the restaurant is the bond between the staff members. She described herself as a “hands-on owner” and emphasized wanting her staff to be happy. Along with their community service work, the staff bonds over kickball games every spring and fall.
“I think helping to cultivate a good environment for the staff and making sure the staff is happy, that’s really important to me,” said Jackson. “I do think that if you make your staff happy, then the product that comes out and the atmosphere and environment that the customers come into is going to be less abrasive, and they’re going to be happy.”
More changes to the restaurant might still be seen under Jackson’s reign. She explained her hopes of opening up more Doodles locations beyond the corner of North Limestone and Third Street.
As for that current location, Jackson is brainstorming ways to increase the space. Because of the restaurant’s popularity, during winter months when the outdoor patio closes, the room becomes packed and in need of extra tables.
However, do not expect any drastic changes to the structure of the restaurant. For Jackson, one of Doodles’s top qualities is that it’s a “quirky space.” The building was once a gas station which makes the arrangement interesting enough. However, Jackson also noted the multiple large windows, saying that the constant sunlight really adds to the happy and upbeat Doodles atmosphere.
“Because it’s a breakfast and lunch place, it’s not dark,” explained Jackson. “It’s energizing, which is important I think for breakfast. People are coming in and starting their days out.”
Perhaps the restaurant could even be described how Jackson takes her coffee: “Light and sweet, just like me.”
Should the university provide free tampons?
Let’s be real here for a minute – being a broke college student and having to deal with your period sucks. Not only is Aunt Flo an unwelcome guest, she’s an expensive one too. Most women prefer to use tampons or pads to manage their menstrual cycle, but having to purchase these products can add up to a lot over time, especially for college students who are on a tight budget.
Menstrual products are a necessity for those who have periods (unfortunately, menstruation doesn’t come with an off switch). Given the fact that these products are necessary to maintain good hygiene but are not easily accessible to everyone who needs them, should the university bridge the gap by providing tampons and pads for free?
This idea isn’t too far-fetched. Just last week, the state of California passed a bill requiring middle and high schools to provide free menstrual products. There’s no reason why a private university can’t do the same. It’s not like it’s impossible to do either; the school already provides free condoms to students. Unlike tampons, however, condoms aren’t needed to take care of yourself for 5 days out of every month. That’s not to say condoms aren’t important – safe sex should be practised at all times (unless you are trying to conceive, of course) to stop the spread of STD’s. It may come as a shock to hear some interesting data recently indicated that the overall rate of STIs in Travis County has increased by 34% from 2014 to 2018, for example. However, the point is that tampons are equally as important and should be treated the same as condoms.
Further, the cost of providing sanitary products is relatively low per user. According to Nancy Kramer, founder of the Free the Tampons campaign, the cost to provide these products for a year is about $4.67 for each person. This is a far easier price to pay than to buy multiple boxes of these products throughout the year.
Having tampons available on campus makes life easier for those of us who have to deal with menstruation. For those who don’t have a car on campus, going to the store to buy tampons can be difficult to arrange, not to mention that the need for a tampon is usually immediate. What if Aunt Flo pops in for a surprise visit during a class or work, and you don’t have anything on you? You’re presented with two options: keep your mouth shut and hope you don’t bleed through your clothing, or quit whatever you’re doing to go find a tampon quickly. Additionally, having a hygiene bin in the toilets is another necessity. No girl wants to change, only to find there is isn’t one of those Phs bins around.
These concerns can be easily addressed by providing free tampons and pads in bathrooms around campus. As the organization Aunt Flow argues, why not provide free tampons in the same manner that toilet paper is provided in public restrooms? That way, students alone won’t be the only ones to benefit from free menstrual products – literally anyone on campus who needs menstrual products should be able to get them. For even greater access, these products should be as easy to find as condoms are on campus. There is nothing shameful about menstruation or menstrual products. I also think that, over time, ovulation test strips should be more widely available to help women manage their cycle more effectively. For half the people on campus, it’s just a reality of life.
The ability to access menstrual products shouldn’t have to be a luxury. The university already provides wellness services to students, faculty, and staff alike, so why not take it a step further by providing free tampons? People cannot accomplish the work they set out to do every day if they cannot take care of their bodies. For such a small cost, the university would benefit from taking these steps to take care of over half of the campus population. If Transy is truly committed to ensuring the well-being of its students, faculty, and staff, it should consider providing free menstrual products for those in need.