Wright State University's Student Government Association is always looking for aspects of student life that they can help improve. Recently, they passed a resolution to put free menstrual products in bathrooms on campus. Since then, they have been raising awareness by asking students to sign their petition as further proof to WSU that this is a necessary resource.
SGA's stand for students
Currently, some WSU bathrooms have pad and tampon dispensers, but they are never stocked. In addition, they cost a quarter in an age where most people do not carry coins around with them.
Aliesha Smith is a graduate student in clinical psychology at WSU, and the Director of Student Health and Wellness for SGA. She has been heavily involved in the process of passing the resolution declaring free menstrual products in WSU bathrooms.
"We've had several students come up to us being like, hey, what's going on with, the bathrooms? Why aren't there ever tampons and pads and stuff in them? Because that sucks. Then not have it, especially if you're having an emergency. Like, that's just embarrassing. And there's nowhere on campus where it's, regularly stocked at all times. Like, the only thing that people are told is, oh, go to women's center. They have some donated items. So, like, we passed a resolution, saying this is a need," Smith said.
Amana Koeller is an undergraduate senior majoring in political science. She also serves as the Policy Administrator for SGA and has taken an active role in this issue as well.
"As far as I'm aware, initially, when [Ohio Senate Bill] One was getting talked about, that voided the existence of gender-neutral bathrooms and any funding towards it. And so I think when we initially talked about this, the plan was to try and put them in the women's restrooms and then continue to try and advertise and advocate for the services that the Women's Center continues to offer for people that need those," Koeller said.
It is clear that if it were up to them, Smith and Koeller would like to have the dispensers installed in all the women's bathrooms as well as the gender-neutral bathrooms, but unfortunately, with Ohio Senate Bill One, some things are still up in the air.
Period poverty
Bobbie Szabo is the Director of the Women's Center at WSU. She has worked for several years in the Cultural Identity Centers to create a more inclusive and positive environment for people of all genders.
"People who experience period poverty are often unable to participate fully in their lives--school, employment, social activities, etc. Individuals may choose to stay home rather than risk bleeding in public or may use unhealthy/unhygienic coping strategies (such as clumps of toilet paper in their underwear) in place of menstrual hygiene products. The logistical challenges, social and emotional anxiety, and health risks of period poverty are severe, and they are silently affecting members of our campus community," Szabo said.
Szabo shared a lot about her experiences as the Director of the Women's Center, including how every day, numerous members of the campus community approach her to ask for these vital resources.
"Folks in need of more than one or two pads on occasion (ex. someone experiencing chronic period poverty) go to Student Advocacy and Wellness's food pantry, which also stocks menstrual hygiene and some parenting items. Both offices collect menstrual hygiene products via donation, rather than from a consistent funding source. Additionally, some individual colleges provide menstrual products for students, faculty, and staff out of pocket. While it is incredible that the Women's Center and Student Advocacy and Wellness (as well as some other respective departments) offer these products, a longer-term, more sustainable, and more effective way to address period poverty on campus is for menstrual hygiene products to be available at all times for free in our campus restrooms," Szabo said.
Many other college campuses across the nation, including multiple universities in Ohio, are also working to provide this resource for their campus. These institutions are seeing this through using independent sales, or contracts with companies such as Aunt Flow. Szabo shared that most of these universities were first made aware of the issue of period poverty on their campuses by their own women's centers and student governments.
"If we want to best serve our students, we need to match what these other universities are doing--or even do it better!" Szabo said.
The petition & how to get involved
One of the easiest ways that students can get active and involved with this cause is to sign SGA's petition. The more signatures on it, the more powerful and effective the petition will be.
"I think the more numbers we have with the number of names that are like submitted and that like they're just, the more convincing it's gonna be. And also, Provost Denniston, he does have a degree in psychology, he cares about public health, so, my hope is that when he sees the numbers and sees what the plans are, realistically, they implement it. That's the hope," Smith said.
Students and staff all have the option to sign this and can use either their names or anonymous letters if they do not wish to attach their name to it for any reason
"For people who are born males, [it is] just something that might be a nice reminder. Even if this isn't something that's pertinent to their personal lives, they probably have sisters or friends or, [other] people in their life that would value this resource. So, if they are thinking about, you know, sticking up for their friends and girlfriends and stuff, then it would be helpful for them to consider signing a petition," Smith said.
For those who are interested in learning more about what this could look like for our campus, but still not entirely sure whether they support it can also sign the petition, according Koeller.
"Just because you sign on to a petition does not inherently mean that you support it. It means that you want to see it be represented and voted upon, and just kind of like with the campus, it's a little different, because we are just presenting it, and it helps to show that people are least interested in it. That doesn't inherently mean that you're like, I am dying on [this] hill, that I want menstrual products in all the campus restrooms," said Koeller.
SGA will be meeting with Provost Denniston on this matter on April 22, 2025, to determine whether this project will get funding. They hope to see community support behind their initiative, especially since this is for the future betterment of the WSU community.
SGA meets every Wednesday at 3:45 p.m. in the Student Union. The room they are in varies, so check Engage to confirm where if you want to attend their meeting. Their meetings are open to the public, and attending is a great way to inform SGA of more student needs, such as this one.
