The Missouri Students Association plans to implement a $2,500 initiative this semester to increase feminine hygiene product accessibility in bathrooms across campus.
The money comes from Bill 58-14, which fulfills funding requests for different MSA sponsored proposals. MSA senate speaker Jake Addington said the funding was a one-time withdrawal from MSA’s reserve funds.
“We allocated $2,500 to buying the products and advertising it to students,” Addington said.
Freshman Caitlen Boyd said she believes the accessibility of these products on campus is a needed addition.
“I think it’s a really good idea. It needs to be more accessible,” Boyd said. “It’s not always possible to run back home and grab something to handle your situation, especially for those who live off campus.”
Solomon Davis, committee chair of MSA’s external affairs, said he came up with the idea on his way home one day. He passed an information booth about periods and the idea cemented.
“I started having a conversation with them and the opportunity came across for ‘one-time’ funding and I thought it’d be perfect if we could get a menstrual product pilot started,” Davis said.
Addington said he sees the initiative as a way for MSA to take positive action on an issue.
“I’m hoping this has a huge impact on our campus,” Addington said. “I think it’s important for the student government to seek out needs on our campus and address those in the best way we can.”
Davis said the bill is still in its early stages. He hasn’t seen much pushback, and the next step is to reach out to other organizations and include them in the initiative.
“We’re working on reaching out to the LGBTQ [Resource] Center and the Women’s Center as well as anyone else who wants to be a part of the conversation,” Davis said.
While the initiative is still starting to materialize, Boyd hopes it will affect the community in a positive way for those who utilize menstrual products.
“You can’t always control what happens to your body,” Boyd said. “So it’s nice to have something for you right there when you need it.”
_Edited by Ethan Brown | ebrown@themaneater.com_