History
In September of 2022, members of the 65th executive cabinet, Sustainaibility Director Alice Fitzgerald, Community Engagement and Outreach Director Clarence Albury, and Health and Wellness Director Noah Carter, in collaboration with Feminist on Campus Uniting Students, F.O.C.U.S. President Delaney Jones, began working on the Menstrual Product Project. By October, the project team grew to include Honors Senator Valeria Paunetto and At-Large Senator Landyn Patterson, with the final addition of Vice President Mary-Elizabeth Thornton in November.After a complete assessment of the WSU restrooms by the team, Director Fitzgerald worked to communicate with different companies about the products they offered. The team settled on Aunt Flow due to the cost, quality, and wide implementation of similar programs using these products. Directors Fitzgerald and Carter worked on a budget estimate, feasibility analyses, and drafted legislation.
On December 7th, 2022, Senators Paunetto and Patterson and Directors Fitzgerald and Carter presented the provisionary bill and project (SB-65-107) to the Wichita State Student Senate. Upon introduction, the bill passed through the Senate with a vote of 36-5. On April 12th, the team put forth legislation to create permanent funding for the project with the help of Legislative and Policy Affairs Director Jay Thompson. The legislation was passed in the Senate with an overwhelming majority. Access to free menstrual products had been a goal of the 63rd and 64th SGA administrations before its official implementation in the 65th administration.
"The Menstrual Bill is a project that seeks to provide free and accessible menstrual products to all students. Wichita State SGA and F.O.C.U.S. have teamed up with Flow to place these dispensers in numerous restrooms across campus, providing ADA-accessible, organic, 100% cotton menstrual products to all who need them. I wanted to push for this bill because of how pervasive menstrual stigma and poverty remains in our communities. 84% of teens have missed class or known someone who missed classes because they didn’t have access to menstrual products, and this number is even greater for BIPOC, first-gen, and immigrant students. I believe that our students and our community deserve better, and that nobody should have to sacrifice classes, meals, or opportunities because of inaccessible menstrual products." - Delaney Jones, FOCUS President (2022)