Giving students access to free period products

Now more than ever, there’s an increasing demand for universities to help students in accessing everyday living essentials. The UTS Student Association (UTSSA) offer an array of services dedicated to making the cost-of-living burden a little lighter. But even with these services available, 2023 Women’s Officer, Aylin Cihan, continued to receive requests for one thing.

“Where can I find free period products on campus?” 

We sat down with 2023 Students’ Association President Nour Al Hammouri and chatted about the UTSSA period product pilot and what the future of access looks like at UTS.

Like toilet paper, period products are a basic need that should be easily accessible in all bathrooms – especially on a university campus. This is the core idea that inspired Nour to push for the support needed to kickstart the program. With the joint efforts of Respect.Now.Always, Sami Urquhart (2023 Activate President) and Kylie Readman (Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President Education and Students), period product dispensers started to be installed in bathrooms in Spring 2023. 

What bathrooms have the products already?

You can find free period products in: 

• CB01.03 (The Underground) female bathroom
• CB02.07 female bathroom
• CB02.03 female, all gender and disabled bathroom
• CB07.03 all gender and disabled bathroom
• CB11.04 female bathroom

Out of all the services the Students’ Association run, why was this important?

Nour emphasised how access to these products was not just a nice-to-have, but a necessity.

"How can we truly accept individuals who menstruate on campus?"

It was important for the team to actively work towards destigmatising the talk and language around periods. This way, we are taking steps to acknowledge the large portion of the student population that menstruate. Nour talked in length about how the program should address not only the physical barriers to product access but the societal ones as well.

What did you do to make it happen?

After looking to other universities and seeing how they run similar programs, the UTSSA team noticed that discrete and easy access to period products is a common issue amongst all local campuses. Unlike what existed already, they wanted to create a program that didn’t involve students having to ask for access to the products. The team opened a survey to capture the opinions of those who menstruate and their experiences on campus. 

After some chatting, they locked in a supplier and secured the funding needed to begin installing the dispensers across campus.  

So where to now?

Nour has handed over the task to UTSSA’s 2024 President Mia Campbell, and the program should run until the end of 2024. With a look into what can be done better in the future, next year’s student reps aim to expand the program to all the bathrooms across campus. The team also hopes to engage a more diverse range of students to provide their input on the service. 

Would you like to have your say on the program, suggest changes or help make sure the program continues and grows? Fill out the UTSSA survey and help create a more accessible campus.