YPSILANTI, Mich. – Eastern Michigan University has launched a new initiative to provide people who menstruate free organic period products when they need them.
Students who are enrolled in EMU’s bachelor of social work program are encouraged to become interns and take on projects that interest them through Swoop’s Food Pantry, according to EMU. The pantry’s mission is to provide the EMU community with food assistance.
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Swoop’s Food Pantry interns Talecia Avery, Michaela Foster, and Roya Herrle noticed that menstrual product dispensers were not available on campus. So they worked together to create EMU Changing the Cycle and started a pilot program to install free menstrual product dispensers in all buildings.
They partnered with The Women’s Resource Center, EMU Student Government, and a Social Work Service Learning class to get funding and materials. They also received support from Aunt Flow.
“We are encouraged by the support from the campus community, including EMU’s Student Government and the administration,” said Julie Harkema, Swoop’s Food Pantry Faculty Advisor. “With that support as well as how easy it was to work with Aunt Flow, the project moved ahead quickly and it’s gratifying to see students create solutions to address unseen barriers and be successful in helping their peers.”
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EMU now has 20 Aunt Flow dispensers with more than 1,000 free products at the following locations:
- The Commons - gender-neutral bathroom (across from dish drop-off)
- Convocation Center - ground-floor women’s bathroom (near the front entrance)
- Marshall Building - second-floor gender-neutral bathroom (Northwest Entrance across from recycling)
- Rackham - second-floor gender-neutral bathroom, room 216
- Sill - second-floor gender-neutral bathroom, room 200d
- Strong - second-floor gender-neutral bathroom, room 132
- Student Center - second-floor gender-neutral bathroom (across from The Market)
EMU Changing the Cycle hopes to have dispensers in every building on campus.
“I feel so fortunate to have been given the opportunity to stay with EMU Changing the Cycle as the Student Project Manager after my service-learning class ended,” said Janelle Polasek, EMU Changing the Cycle Student Project Manager. “It has been amazing to see this initiative grow and be enthusiastically supported by the campus community, with so much momentum toward ending period poverty locally and at the state level. It’s exciting to be a part of the movement.”
Click here to learn more about EMU Changing the Cycle.
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