Thefts from feminine-hygiene dispensers have been spotty in the past, she said.

“I can’t recall a time (when) there have been numerous ones at one time,” she said. “Not those type of machines.”

Nutritional sciences senior Sheena Patel said a person who would steal from a tampon machine must be desperate or bored.

“I think that if you’re going to steal something, you should steal it from someplace better than a tampon machine,” she said.

“It’s got to be bad if someone’s stealing from a machine in a bathroom.”

Communication junior Kiersten Anderson said she thought it was ridiculous someone would steal from feminine-hygiene machines.

“I guess I think when you need something, you need something,” she said. “I think that’s a pretty pathetic way to get money because I can’t imagine stealing from a feminine-hygiene machine could be very lucrative. Going out and earning money seems to be more of an honorable and smart way of doing things.”

Some of the machines appeared to have been entered with an unknown tool, McGlothian-Taylor said. She did not know if the machines, which cost about $400, would need to be replaced.

Police are unsure whether one person is responsible for all of the break-ins, but the incidents remain under investigation, McGlothian-Taylor said.

No arrests have been made, but police hope to catch the person or people responsible, she said.