Student Association

Incidents prompt SA to halt expansion of menstrual product program

Delaney Kuric | Staff Illustrator

After issues of theft and damage to bathroom caddies, Student Association has put its expansion of menstrual hygiene program on halt.

UPDATED: Feb. 6, 2017 at 10:30 p.m.

The Syracuse University Student Association is halting the expansion of its menstrual hygiene program this semester, citing issues with theft.

SA is working with the SU Physical Plant to come up with solutions to those issues, but a formal timeline for the program’s future expansion has not been set.

At the SA meeting on Jan. 31, SA Vice President Joyce LaLonde said the program’s menstrual product caddies and signs were being stolen from some campus restrooms. She said the program will not expand to other campus buildings this semester.

“We just have to come up with a better system before rolling the program out further,” LaLonde said at the meeting.



SA began piloting the menstrual hygiene program in five buildings ­in November. Tampons and menstrual pads are available to students at no cost in men’s and women’s restrooms in Schine Student Center, E.S. Bird Library, the Life Sciences Complex, Huntington Beard Crouse Hall and the Hall of Languages.

Anjani Ladhar, co-chair of SA’s student life committee, said there have been incidents of theft to product caddies and signs in Bird Library. The program has been running well in other locations, like Schine Student Center, Ladhar said. But SA will work to fix the theft problems before moving the program into other buildings, Ladhar added.

Ladhar said SA’s original goal was to expand the program to all campus restrooms after the initial five-building pilot. In addition to problems with students stealing the caddies, she said the program’s expansion was put on hold because SA cannot afford to sustain a school-wide program.

SA currently covers the cost of buying and stocking the products, but Ladhar said she hopes the university will provide the funds to grow the program next year.

Keelan Erhard, SA’s other student life co-chair and a founder of the menstrual hygiene program, said he met with officials at the SU Physical Plant, which oversees custodial staff, during the first week of February to discuss ways to improve the program.

SA has been unable to gauge how students have used the products throughout the week, Erhard said. Currently, an SA member restocks the menstrual products in bathrooms each week. Physical Plant has agreed to have custodial staff keep a tally of the products they see each day to help SA operate the program more efficiently in the future.

Erhard said it is difficult to address problems concerning the caddies without significant costs. Installing product dispensers could cost at least $300 per bathroom, he said.

“We’re looking at recreating our signage to encourage students to be more respectful of the initiative,” Erhard said.

Despite setbacks this semester, Erhard and Ladhar said they are confident the program will expand in the coming years. Many institutions around the country, including Cornell University and Brown University, have introduced similar menstrual product programs.

“I’m hoping the future student life chairs and the administration see the value of free menstrual products, and work to help expand the program next year,” Erhard said.

CORRECTION: In a previous version of this post, issues concerning the Student Association’s menstrual product caddies and signs were unclear. These products have been stolen. The Daily Orange regrets this error.





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