Dorm Room Dignity - Necessity of Menstrual Products at the U of M
Dorm Room Dignity - Necessity of Menstrual Products at the U of M
The Issue
I am a current junior, and I've lived in the dorms at the University of Michigan for 2 years now. I had learned previously, before coming to the University of Michigan, that free period products are available in the public restrooms on campus.
Awesome right?
That's what I thought until I was stuck at midnight with no period products and had to go down 3 flights of stairs and into the basement to try and find a tampon. While this may seem like a personal issue, it reflects a larger pattern at this university of not prioritizing student menstrual health.
Even implementing free menstrual products in public bathrooms on the University of Michigan campus was not a matter of kindness, but rather a legal requirement that took effect in 2022.
Menstruation is a part of basic human existence. It accounts for a significant portion of the lives of 51% of the world's population. Why then are period products still being treated like a luxury on and off campus?
A Pilot Survey conducted in 2024 by Abigail Suleman (et. al) about students’ menstrual attitudes, experiences, and needs on a university campus found that: 23% of teens and 34% of adults can not afford menstrual products, and 1 out of 6 university students face period poverty.
Transferring these numbers over to the individuals living in the dorms, it's fair to assume that at least 1/6 of the menstruating individuals living on campus in the University of Michigan dorms cannot reliably afford period products. These individuals are then either forced to make sacrifices in order to afford these products, go without them, or find them inside the University of Michigan buildings and bathrooms that do provide period products.
Having period products available in one's living space is a necessity. Especially with the amount of money that people are paying to stay in the dorms - anywhere from $8,000 to $14,000 per year - having period products, a necessity of living in a body that menstruates, is vital.
Find more information at my website: https://sites.google.com/umich.edu/dormroomdignity/home
66
The Issue
I am a current junior, and I've lived in the dorms at the University of Michigan for 2 years now. I had learned previously, before coming to the University of Michigan, that free period products are available in the public restrooms on campus.
Awesome right?
That's what I thought until I was stuck at midnight with no period products and had to go down 3 flights of stairs and into the basement to try and find a tampon. While this may seem like a personal issue, it reflects a larger pattern at this university of not prioritizing student menstrual health.
Even implementing free menstrual products in public bathrooms on the University of Michigan campus was not a matter of kindness, but rather a legal requirement that took effect in 2022.
Menstruation is a part of basic human existence. It accounts for a significant portion of the lives of 51% of the world's population. Why then are period products still being treated like a luxury on and off campus?
A Pilot Survey conducted in 2024 by Abigail Suleman (et. al) about students’ menstrual attitudes, experiences, and needs on a university campus found that: 23% of teens and 34% of adults can not afford menstrual products, and 1 out of 6 university students face period poverty.
Transferring these numbers over to the individuals living in the dorms, it's fair to assume that at least 1/6 of the menstruating individuals living on campus in the University of Michigan dorms cannot reliably afford period products. These individuals are then either forced to make sacrifices in order to afford these products, go without them, or find them inside the University of Michigan buildings and bathrooms that do provide period products.
Having period products available in one's living space is a necessity. Especially with the amount of money that people are paying to stay in the dorms - anywhere from $8,000 to $14,000 per year - having period products, a necessity of living in a body that menstruates, is vital.
Find more information at my website: https://sites.google.com/umich.edu/dormroomdignity/home
66
The Decision Makers
Petition created on September 26, 2025