April 11, 2022

Dear Emerson College Community,

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. Emerson Flows aims to educate the Emerson College community on menstrual issues, advocate for the rights of people who menstruate, and serve the Greater Boston Area by finding ways to provide menstrual products to those without access. Some of our work includes running donation drives for menstrual products, conducting packing parties and delivering said products to local shelters in the Boston area, attending demonstrations and events as representatives of the menstrual movement, and working with the administration to ensure free and easy access to menstrual products in bathrooms around campus.

However, while we are incredibly grateful for Emerson College’s cooperation and support thus far, we strongly believe, as an organization, that it is imperative for Emerson to supply period products in all bathrooms on our Boston campus. Emerson does indeed provide “free access” to period products, but this access will not necessarily be “easy” until period products are available in all bathrooms. For instance, if a student’s period unexpectedly begins while they are in class, it will not help if the bathroom they rush to is one of the bathrooms not actively supplied with period products. Menstruators cannot control when and where their periods occur; it can happen anytime, anywhere, and it will not help them any if the nearest bathroom to their classroom is a bathroom that does not dispense period products. 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.

Period poverty, or the inadequate access to menstrual products, impacts over 1 in 10 college students according to a recent Forbes article from 2021, which statistically means that at least four-hundred known students are faced with this issue. And many more remain unreported. Additionally, college students fall into one of the most financially vulnerable groups due to high tuition rates, with nearly 70% of college students stressed about managing finances during this period of time in their lives. Menstruation is painful enough without bankrupting students. 

As of now, approximately only 30% of Emerson bathrooms are furnished with period products, which we achieved in 2019 through our effective collaboration with the Emerson administration. But today, we, alongside the rest of the Emerson community, implore Emerson College to distribute period products in all the bathrooms on our Boston campus. This includes administrative and curricular buildings such as 172 Tremont Street, the Ansin Building, the Union Bank Building, the Walker Building, and the Tufte building. However, we are also requesting to obtain period products for all the Emerson dorm buildings as well, such as the Little Building, the Paramount dormitories, the Colonial Building, 2 Boylston Place, and Piano Row. 

Emerson community: 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. We are also collecting anecdotes as well, so if you feel so inclined, share a brief message about how the lack of period products has personally affected you during your time at Emerson so far what period products in all bathrooms would mean to you. All submissions will be anonymous. Share this petition with your friends, family, and other Emerson students and faculty! We need to work together as a united front in order to make free period products accessible to all Emerson community members.

You can find the link to the anonymous Google Form collecting personal anecdotes here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdLwWKVXKDnOHZfydFZka6V77nvAJUZrBhP5TcAqUrKcH1Kkw/viewform

Thank you so much for all of your help! You are truly helping us make a positive change in the Emerson community and we couldn’t be doing this without you or your support!

Best wishes,

Emerson Flows

Claire Kong, President

Emily Lang, Vice President

Angelina Parrillo, Secretary

Soren Berman, Marketing Chair

Kathryn Redefer, Treasurer