Initiatives: Increasing Feminine Hygiene Products Access

January 18, 2023

ASUWT has partnered with the Husky Sustainability Fund and the University Y to launch a quarter-long pilot program providing free menstrual products in select bathrooms inside the University Y. The program aims to gather data with the hope of making the initiative permanent.

Status: Success

Point of Contact(s): Exita Lealofi (2022-2023 Director of University Affairs), Holly Wetzel (2023-2024 ASUWT President)

January 18th 2023 Update:

As students at the University of Washington Tacoma continue to navigate the challenges of academic life, some are also struggling with what has come to be known as "Period Poverty." The IRIZE Student Group (https://www.instagram.com/irize_freeperiodproducts/) approached ASUWT with concerns about the cost of menstrual products on campus. In response, ASUWT has partnered with IRIZE, the Husky Sustainability Fund and the University Y to develop a quarter-long pilot program aimed at expanding reproductive healthcare access to all students.

Period Poverty is a term used to describe the financial barriers that many individuals face when it comes to accessing menstrual products. Those who are most impacted by period poverty are often low-income individuals and marginalized communities who may not have the means to purchase the products they need. This lack of access can result in several negative consequences, such as missed school or work days, social exclusion, and even health issues.

The pilot program will provide free menstrual products in select bathrooms located in the University Y; the first-floor women's locker room and gender-neutral restroom, as well as the second and third-floor women's restrooms. The number of products taken monthly will be closely monitored to measure the demonstrated need for these items on campus.

In addition to this pilot program, ASUWT working closely with students to create a petition for more locations on campus to provide free menstrual products. 

The goal is to demonstrate to university administration and campus facilities that there is a need for these products, and that they should be made available in more locations. ASUWT hopes that this pilot program will be just the beginning of a larger effort to expand access to reproductive healthcare products on campus. By gathering data on the demand for menstrual products, we believe that ASUWT can make a strong case for the need to provide these items to students for free on campus. With this data in hand, we hope to work with the university to develop a more comprehensive program that includes not just menstrual products, but other reproductive healthcare items (ex: condoms) as well in the future.

We know that many students face financial challenges, and we believe that access to Increased Feminine Hygiene Products Access should not be one of them. ASUWT is committed to making sure that all students have access to the resources they need to succeed both academically and personally, and this is initiative is the first big step in achieving our goals.

November 19th 2023 Update:

After spending Spring 2023 and Fall 2023 collecting signatures, ASUWT was able to receive over 1000 student signatures showing support to get free menstrual products on campus. After presenting the pilot program findings as well as the student signatures, UW Tacoma administration swiftly put free menstrual products into all bathrooms on campus by the start of Winter Quarter. Additionally, ASUWT learned throughout this process that UW Tacoma was out of compliance with RCW 28B.170.010 which state that "By the beginning of the 2022-2023 academic year, institutions of higher education must make menstrual hygiene products available at now cost in all gender-neutral bathrooms and bathrooms designated for female students." Due to the overwhelming student support displayed by the UW Tacoma students on the petition, ASUWT believes that it showed UW Tacoma administration that they cannot delay any further with coming into compliance with Washington State law. 

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