After over two years of working towards eliminating period poverty at Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr’s Feminist Coalition (FemCo) has finally installed free-to-use menstrual product dispensers stocked with Aunt Flow products in numerous bathrooms across the campus.
Students may recognize Aunt Flow products from the small baskets that have been available in bathrooms across Bryn Mawr’s campus since February of this year. These baskets served as a trial run by FemCo to determine the need for accessible period products on campus. Following their success, the coalition was able to move forward with their initiative and install the Aunt Flow Dispensers this year. Students were greeted with the sight of new dispensers following fall break, with FemCo officially announcing the dispensers with a post on Instagram on October 20 that also listed all of the dispensers’ locations. Students will be able to find the dispensers in most of the restrooms in Park Science Center, Campus Center, Dalton Hall, Taylor Hall, Canaday Library, Bettws-Y-Coed, and Old Library.
Kaia Susman ‘25, Menstrual Equity Coordinator of FemCo, and FemCo member Niyati Bantval ‘25 offered insight into the coalition’s efforts to increase accessibility to menstrual products and the process behind installing the new dispensers.
According to Susman and Bantval, the funding for the dispensers is currently coming from the Dean’s Office, the Self Governance Association (SGA), and the Health Services Office. FemCo is continuing to work with the President’s Office to organize and secure further funding that will allow for the maintenance and expansion of this project. While College administration is currently very supportive of this development, this has not always been the case. Bantval revealed that when this project was first suggested in the fall semester of the 2022-2023 academic year, FemCo received alleged “sizable administrative pushback.” At the time, administration felt that period poverty was not a prevalent issue at Bryn Mawr, though this theory was proven wrong after FemCo surveyed students and discovered that 18% of Bryn Mawr students had faced considerable struggle to access period products.
Bantval notes that, “period poverty has only recently come into focus as a preeminent health equity issue.” While this issue is currently affecting approximately 1 in 10 college students across the United States, stigma surrounding menstruation makes progress difficult, even at a Historically Women’s College such as Bryn Mawr. Menstrual products are an incredibly costly investment for both individuals and institutions, so finding funding to allocate to such projects is difficult. However, FemCo believes that accessible period products are an investment that Bryn Mawr must continue making.
There has been an enormous positive response from the Bryn Mawr community in regards to the menstrual product dispensers. Many students appreciate that steps are being taken to increase accessibility to period products. However, many students have expressed frustration with dispensers being empty in the weeks following their launch. The Feminist Coalition has worked towards addressing this issue by analyzing the patterns of use in each location and using this information in determining how to move forward with supply. Susman explained, “when FemCo launched this initiative, we had no idea what demand would look like. Clearly, the need was greater than even we anticipated…We know that an empty dispenser is just plain frustrating.” As a response, FemCo has been working with the College and their distribution partners to work towards managing inventory supplies in high-traffic areas in a more sustainable and effective way.
The success of the period product dispensers raise questions about what students should expect to see regarding eliminating period poverty on campus moving forward. FemCo is considering many of these questions, and has numerous plans in the works. They are currently working with Christen Kennedy in the Health Center to get period packs, which are small bags containing several different products for an individual to use during their menstrual cycle. FemCo is also expecting to pursue a plan to purchase menstrual discs that will be provided to students free of charge, taking into account the College community’s dedication to sustainability. As FemCo gathers feedback on the project, they look forward to expanding the period poverty initiative across the Bi-Co.
Kaia Susman offers an insightful look into the future, saying, “Bryn Mawr students have been menstruating for all of Bryn Mawr’s history. But thanks to the efforts of a whole team of people and FemCo, we hope that people on this campus will be one step closer to not experiencing period poverty.”
