Period Equity Program
The Period Equity Program is your UASU’s initiative that works to tackle period poverty by providing free sustainable period products to menstruators all over our campus community.
Across the University, we have installed five dispensers near washrooms, providing emergency period products. Additionally, we have started a collaboration with the REgistrar’s Office to supply a semester's worth of products to students who may require support. Through this initiative, your UASU has been able to distribute hundreds of thousands of free menstrual products over the past 4 years.
About the Period Equity Program
Why We Need It
Period equity refers to the idea of ensuring that everyone who menstruates has access to affordable and adequate menstrual products, and access to proper facilities and resources for managing menstruation. It aims to eliminate the financial and social barriers that prevent individuals from accessing menstrual products and create an environment where menstruation is normalized and supported without discrimination or stigma. Your UASU advocates for policies and initiatives that promote menstrual health and equality for all individuals.
In addition to addressing the social aspects of addressing period equity, your UASU is also working to tackle the issue of sustainability. Disposable menstrual products, such as pads and tampons, generate significant waste. Sanitary pads alone can take up to 800 years to break down. By making the switch to sustainable options and biodegradable products, we hope to help reduce the amount of non-biodegradable waste that ends up in landfills and oceans.
Locations
The project has gone from one dispenser in the Students' Union Building (SUB) to five across our University! Free menstrual products are now available in the following locations:
- Students’ Union Building
- Main Floor Washrooms by SUB Photo
- Lower Level Gender Neutral Washroom
- Second Floor near 2-900
- Van Vliet Complex
- First Level by the Women’s Locker Room
- First Level by the Men’s Locker Room
- Campus Saint-Jean
History of the Program
2019 - The Period Equity pilot project launched, providing free menstrual products at InfoLink locations and faculty association offices. Students could access tampons and pads without having to ask, ensuring they had what they needed.
2021 - Post-pandemic, the project shifted to installing dispensers at washrooms, starting with the Students’ Union Building on the lower level and main floor.
2022 - A transition to sustainable period products was implemented, with an initial release of these products in the dispensers to gather student feedback. Three more dispensers were installed at Van Vliet Complex and Campus Saint Jean.
2023 - A partnership with the Registrar’s Office began, aiming to enhance the equity aspect of Period Equity by providing students with access to a semester's worth of products.
Contact Information
All contacts listed can be reached at 780-492-4241 during the UASU offices' regular business hours of 8:30 A.M - 4:30 P.M.
You can also stop by the Students' Union Executive Office (2-900 Students' Union Building) and talk to reception regarding any questions that you may have.