Quinnipiac University’s Student Government Association announced Nov. 13 a completed menstrual product initiative in a press release. 

These efforts, spearheaded by SGA’s Vice President Kaitlyn Sternhardt, have propelled a pilot program that offers free menstrual products in 20 restrooms on Quinnipiac University’s Mount Carmel Campus, two restrooms on York Hill Campus and six restrooms on the North Haven Campus starting in Spring 2025.

Sternhardt has been an advocate for the last two years to provide free menstrual products to the Quinnipiac community.

“The stories that I heard from my peers were my greatest motivator and inspiration (for this initiative),” Sternhardt wrote in a statement to The Chronicle. “As I began working on this project, I realized how multifaceted this issue really is.”

Sternhardt plans to create a map of the restrooms that supply free menstrual products so students can easily access them.

Both tampons and pads will be offered in the ADA-compliant menstrual product dispensers.

Makeba Walcott, a third-year student in the Medical Doctorate program, worked with Sternhardt on this initiative. Walcott began an effort to put free menstrual products on the North Haven Campus after she struggled to get menstrual products.

“During my first year of medical school in 2022, I was studying for my first big exam and my period came,” Walcott said. “I had to decide, ‘do I make it to class or time, or do I try to get a pad or a tampon and risk being late for class?’”

Walcott asked friends for a menstrual product or a quarter to put in the dispensers, but none of  them had one. She went to a pharmacy to purchase menstrual products, but she missed class in order to do so.

In collaboration with OBGYN interest group, headed by Kizzi Belfone and Alice Chen, Walcott applied for a PEARLS Grant, which provides funding towards equity initiatives in the School of Medicine.

The initiative received $1,000 to provide free menstrual products between January and May of 2023. The pilot was a success.

Walcott and the OBGYN interest group then received funding from the Office of Student Affairs to continue providing menstrual products in North Haven restrooms.

“A friend of mine connected me with two professors at the (Mount Carmel) Campus,” Walcott said. “These professors connected me with Kaitlyn, and we started talking. We had meetings together, and we decided to do a combined proposal to get students involved (in this initiative) from both campuses.”

“Period poverty,” or the inability to afford menstrual products, impacts 14.2% of college-attending women on a yearly basis, according to a study conducted by BMC Health in 2021.

An additional 10% of women in college experience period poverty every month. These women are at an increased risk of experiencing moderate to severe levels of depression.

“Many students I talked to shared (that) they have missed classes due to the lack (of) products offered and felt embarrassed in these situations,” Sternhardt wrote. “It is unreasonable to expect students to walk across campus to their dorm or the health center, often during class time, to get a product in an (emergency) situation.”

Sternhardt received a quote for the cost of restocking the pads and tampons from Aunt Flow, a company that provides menstrual products to businesses and schools. It estimated that it would cost $18,000 annually to replenish the pads and tampons. 

Other universities like Princeton University and the University of Georgia utilize Aunt Flow to keep their public restrooms restocked with menstrual products. 

During the planning process of the pilot program, Sternhardt met with various administrators in the university. They voiced their concerns about the dispensers and products being vandalized or misused by students as well as the cost of the program.

“I consistently rebutted these as reasons not to push and pursue this, rather to trust that people would take what they need,” Sternhardt wrote. “Though I would say the biggest struggle was finding a continuous source of funding.”

Despite the uncertainty and concerns of the program, Sternhardt is looking forward to aiding students who might struggle with accessibility and the negative connotations around menstruation.

“I hope all who menstruate feel more supported at Quinnipiac and do not have to worry about the financial barrier that comes with accessing these basic necessities,” Sternhardt wrote. “I believe this will have a positive impact by promoting accessibility, equality and reducing the stigma surrounding menstruation.”

Walcott hopes that through this effort, other students will feel confident in making positive changes on campus.

“Looking at Kaitlyn and seeing her dedication and her advocacy, (it shows people) don’t be afraid to speak up and don’t be afraid to advocate,” Walcott said. “Everything great comes with some risk.”