Feminine hygiene products are free in the Julian A. McPhee University Union (UU) and the Recreation Center bathrooms starting 12 p.m. Sept. 29. This will be funded through the Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) University Union budget.
Last May, the ASI Board of Directors approved a resolution to provide free feminine hygiene products campuswide. The purpose of this resolution was to support low-income students by providing a basic necessity and support overall student success.
ASI President Riley Nilsen said this is something that the University Union Advisory Board (UUAB) has been working on all summer.
“I think it’s a really positive change and I’m excited to see how it rolls out,” agricultural science senior Nilsen said.
Approximately 75 percent of participants in a student survey answered that they had to leave an academic activity due to menstruation. ASI’s resolution is aimed at lowering that statistic.
“I think it’s really important because I’ve heard stories of students going home from class because they didn’t have these products on them,” UUAB Chair and biomedical engineering senior Kaelan Sobouti said. “I think that by providing feminine hygiene products we are promoting academic success and overall success.”
The UUAB will revisit the project annually to track its success.