Emerson College has approved an initiative that to provide menstrual products in all campus restrooms, including men’s and gender-neutral facilities in response to lobbying efforts by a group that advocates “for inclusivity, menstrual equality, and the de-stigmatization of menstruation and periods.”

The group, Emerson Flows, launched a Change.org petition in April 2022, gathering approximately 400 signatures before presenting the request to Vice President of Student Life Jim Hoppe.

“We are Emerson Flows, an advocacy and education based organization dedicated to fighting for inclusivity, menstrual equality, and the de-stigmatization of menstruation and periods,” the petition reads.

The petition called for the college administration to make menstrual products available in every restroom on campus, stating that menstruators cannot control when and where their periods occur.

“But while they cannot control this, the Emerson administration has control to house period products in all Emerson bathrooms to avoid a situation like this from ever happening,” the petition reads.

By providing these products in all restrooms, the institution would be addressing the issue of inadequate access to period products, which Emerson Flows calls “period poverty.”

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Emerson Flows also “host regular meetings where we have open conversations and guided educational experiences surrounding the topics of menstruation, period misconceptions, and similar subjects,” including “period poverty.”

One such meeting advertised on Twitter called “Period Poverty: Breaking the Silence” defines “period poverty” as “the inability to access sanitary items due to cultural, social or financial circumstances.”

Emerson College began a pilot project shortly after the group’s initial push, but it was not sufficient for Emerson Flows.

According to a report from The Berkeley Beacon, the project initially led to menstrual products being available in only 30% of women’s restrooms on campus.

Emerson Flows President Emily Lang expressed that her group felt access should extend to all restrooms, irrespective of gender affiliation.

“While I understand that the majority of the menstruators at this school are cis[gender] women, we should still treat men who also menstruate with the same level of respect,” she said, per The Beacon’s report.

“You get period products just like everyone else, and you get the same amount, because you’re just as valid,” Lang said.

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The petition, near its end, read: “We need YOUR help! We are asking you to sign Emerson Flows’ petition which implores the Emerson administration to supply period products in all bathrooms on our bathroom campus.”

Jim Hoppe approved the initiative, which allocates $7,000 per year for menstrual products in all restrooms across the college, regardless of gender.

The plan to provide menstrual products in all campus restrooms is set to take effect in July.