By: Heidi Kwok, Staff Writer
A new program to provide free menstrual products will soon launch across all SFU campuses. On the Burnaby campus, dispensers containing both pads and tampons will be installed in 60 high-traffic, gender neutral, and women’s washrooms. A similar rollout is planned for the Surrey campus, targeting 10 to 12 washrooms, and for Vancouver, where existing dispensers will be revamped.
The Peak interviewed Krystal Ness, the associate director for buildings and grounds at SFU Facilities, who said the program will be implemented before the end of the year. Ness added that they secured “funding approval for at least the next three years” from the university’s dedicated operational budget.
According to Ness, in March, the SFU Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Office formed a menstrual equity working group after Simon Fraser Student Society representatives and departmental groups, including SFU Physics IDEA, raised concerns about the lack of menstrual products on campus. Since then, the office’s working group has been assessing the needs of a free menstrual product program, after which the responsibility of the initiative was transferred to Facilities.
Around the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Facilities audited all 400 washrooms on the Burnaby campus to identify the most accessible and high-traffic locations, ultimately selecting 60 washrooms that met their criteria. Previously, menstrual supplies were only available at the Out on Campus lounge and the Women’s Centre. When asked why existing dispensers had remained empty for more than three years, Ness attributed the reason to aging units that no longer functioned properly. Since the machines required a quarter, “We were finding that they were being broken into and emptied and the money being taken,” Ness said.
Washrooms containing these units were also not accessible or located in high-traffic areas. “The new units make it very clear that these are free, and they have time delays on them so that you can only get one product every 30 seconds,” said Ness. “These new dispensers are easy to use, [with] large push buttons. Users with any kind of limited mobility or dexterity should still be able to utilize these when needed.”
Facilities is exploring the option of adding a feature on the SFU Snap application that will allow users to filter washrooms offering menstrual products. Facilities is also conducting a cost analysis based on how often the dispensers will need to be restocked. The entire procurement process from purchase to delivery and installation is expected to take approximately five weeks.
In an ending remark, Ness expressed her gratitude for everyone who was involved:
“I really want to congratulate the student body on raising this concern and calling the university to action. They did it in a really collaborative and supportive way.”
— Krystal Ness, associate director, buildings and grounds at SFU facilities
She added, “I think this is an amazing program we’ll be rolling out for everybody who visits our campus, and it’s a really nice step forward for the campuses.”
