In spring of 2022, UW-Eau Claire’s Student Office of Sustainability (SOS) first introduced a proposal requesting funding to provide students with free and sustainable menstrual products. The proposal was created by Hazel Woodward, the SOS student director at the time.
The proposal was created with the intention of combatting period poverty, or the inability to afford or lack of access to necessary menstrual supplies, facilities or education, causing a person to miss school, work or personal life events.
Woodward’s successor, Jake Hicks, a fourth-year political science and software engineering student, said Woodward did most of the groundwork for the proposal.
“Hazel did a lot of the leg work in first creating the proposal,” Hicks said. “They collected data about period poverty and the immorality of allowing unequal access to menstrual products to propagate on college campuses.”
Hicks rewrote the proposal this time around and presented it to SOS.
“I have seen this proposal passed several times, so I know it is getting used and its importance. I took the proposal and revised it slightly and presented it to SOS a couple weeks ago,” Hicks said. “Thanks to our voting members, it passed.”
This semester’s proposal sought the funding for $4,950 worth of menstrual cups and reusable period underwear. The reusable menstrual products are purchased from AllMatters, a business founded on the initiative to increase the options of reusable menstrual products.
The site’s reusable underwear is currently out of stock, so the budget for the next purchase will end up at around $2,600, and consist of menstrual cups and menstrual cup soap provided by AllMatters. Products are set to be distributed across campus in November.
These products will be available for students to pick up for free at Student Health Services (SHS), Campus Harvest Food Pantry, Campus Closet and the Student Sustainability Resource Center (SSRC).
Hicks said the proposal’s intention includes both benefiting students and the environment.
“First off, period poverty is a prevalent issue, especially for college students,” Hicks said. “Second, hygiene is a human right. Young adults should not have to make financial decisions to stay clean. Third, this proposal provides a sustainable alternative to a traditional product that ends up in landfills.”
Lily Strehlow, sustainability coordinator, works to integrate environmental, economic and human prosperity into systems at UW-Eau Claire. Strehlow said the project is meant to not just combat period poverty, but to do it in a sustainable way.
“Sustainability is the intersection of equity, environment and economy,” Strehlow said. “This project is meant to educate students on sustainable period products while providing those products for students who need them most to ensure period poverty affects as few people as possible at UWEC.”
Strehlow said work done on the project is student-oriented and shared her pride in their work.
“On this project, all of the credit should go to the students. They identified a need amongst students, particularly low-income students, and implemented a solution,” Strehlow said. “I am proud that they’ve implemented this project.”
Megan Jones, a fourth-year ecology and environmental biology student, is the SOS communication and education coordinator. Her position focuses on publicizing the SOS platform as a resource for students and as an entity looking to improve ways of life within and beyond college.
The project’s proposal is rewritten and submitted for additional funding each time products run out. The sought funding is based on need and popularity of the products offered.
“Buying sustainable period products like reusable menstrual cups have an expensive initial cost, but in the long run saves money and resources for those that use them, while reducing plastic waste, toxic chemical exposure and other production impacts from single-use pads or tampons,” Jones said.
The proposal also referenced the role finances play in experiencing period poverty. According to one study, at least one in 10 college students who menstruate experiences period poverty. Similar to this, the proposal also presented findings that two in five people will experience period poverty in their lifetime.
“Everyone deserves to not have to worry about missing out on what they want/need because of something as uncontrollable as a natural bodily function,” Jones said. “Many people don’t even know about societal issues like period poverty … Exposing people to their privileges I think helps to inspire people to help others.”
Sydney McGuine, a public health graduate student, was the SOS senate director from fall of 2022 to spring of 2024. McGuine said responses from students has been positive so far, thus the project continues.
“The student response has been very positive. I remember when I was in SOS, the SHS and pantry folks were asking us for more because they would run out so quickly,” McGuine said. “I believe this was still the case this year and that is why Jake went ahead and wrote the proposal again.”
Braun can be reached at [email protected].
