ASUI Sen. Samragyee Gautam has proposed a bill to provide free menstrual products to students in restrooms across campus.
There is currently a survey on VandalSync to get student feedback, which closes Friday evening. The results will be presented at next Wednesday’s meeting.
“My main reason for this survey is to receive more student input in order to have more statistics to add to the bill that other senators will see,” Gautam said. “I want to be able to show data on what students in our university think, show national data and show why we should start this.”
Gautam has also compiled information from other universities across the nation, such as Brown, who provide free menstrual products in campus restrooms.
The project originally started under University of Idaho’s Planned Parenthood Generation Action chapter.
By pushing it through ASUI, Gautam hopes to make the project long-term and have a better working relationship with departments across campus, such as having a connection with the facilities department.
“I feel like this is such an important issue and I think that our university should be paying for this not any club or student organization,” Gautam said.
The project receives funding through Planned Parenthood.Gautam said a variety of other groups have offered to help provide free products to students.
UI Director of Facilities Rob Anderson has offered to change the current feminine products dispensers to ones that do not require payment. This will keep the products cleaner than the original plan to put the products in open baskets on the counters.
There have been various concerns expressed that people will misuse the access to free products and take much more than they need. By working with Anderson and facilities toward the possibility of changing dispensers, Gautam hopes that the effort will have a wide reach. She also pointed out that she does not believe people take more products than they need.
Fellow Sen. Hannah Spear is working with Gautam on the project and survey.
Gautam hopes to pass the bill at the end of October, so the products can be purchased and distributed by the end of November.
Initially, products will be placed only in restrooms in the Idaho Commons, she said. However, Gautam hopes to eventually expand the project to restrooms across campus, including all gender-neutral restrooms.
“I hope after this project starts, people will see how important it is, and maybe that will lead to being able to ask the University for funding,” Gautam said.
Ellamae Burnell can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @EllamaeBurnell