McMaster Okanagan Committee’s pilot project continues to work on addressing period poverty on campus, despite setbacks due to vandalism
Period poverty is defined by a lack of access to hygiene products, menstrual products and period education. In 2019 it was reported that 34 per cent of Canadian women and girls claimed to frequently make budget sacrifices in order to afford menstrual and feminine hygiene products. Period poverty is a prevalent issue that impacts individuals worldwide. It is currently being tackled on campus by the McMaster Okanagan Committee.
McMaster Okanagan is responsible for supporting initiatives that look to promote the health and wellbeing of the campus community, in line with the Okanagan Charter. McMaster Okanagan’s ongoing period equity project was launched in Jan. 2023 and it aims to reduce period poverty within the McMaster community.
Previous project support assistant Neha Dhanvanthry explained that several advocacy groups on campus, including the Student Health Education Centre and the McMaster Student Union, were interested in addressing period poverty. The period equity project was then born from this collective concern and passion for equity and accessibility.
“There were continuous meetings with different groups on campus discussing the most feasible way to carry [the project] out. It was all done acknowledging that menstrual products shouldn’t be a luxury. They are necessities and providing them really helps to support students and staff with their wellbeing while they’re getting their education or working,” said Dhanvanthry.
There were continuous meetings with different groups on campus discussing the most feasible way to carry [the project] out. It was all done acknowledging that menstrual products shouldn’t be a luxury. They are necessities and providing them really helps to support students and staff with their wellbeing while they’re getting their education or working.
Neha Dhanvanthry, previous project support assistant, McMaster Okanagan period equity project
The period equity project team has now set up free has situated menstrual product stations in select washrooms on McMaster main campus, including the Student Wellness Centre, residence buildings and the Health Science Library. menstrual product stations in select washrooms on the main campus, including in the McMaster University Student Centre, Mills Memorial Library and the Health Science Library.
McMaster Okanagan administrator Lynn Armstrong explained that so far the project has received mostly positive feedback. However, there have been recent incidents of vandalism at the menstrual product stations in men’s washrooms that have temporarily thrown the initiative off-course.
The vandalism has resulted in thou- sands of dollars of plumbing repair costs due to products being mass flushed down toilets as well as the McMaster Okanagan team temporarily de-installing these stations to address the damages.
Armstrong explained that some of the vandalism incidents have also involved hateful sentiments against the transgender community.
“We like to believe it’s a naive thing, but it could be anti-woman, anti-trans messaging. We are trying to do more educational campaigns about why this [project] isn’t just about any one group and that not just women bleed . . . It was important to us to make sure [menstrual products] were accessible for everybody," said Armstrong.
The need for accessible menstrual products spans far beyond cisgendered women, including trans individuals and those who might be collecting products for their mothers, siblings or friends in need. The period equity project aims to support all individuals under this umbrella and make products and education accessible no matter your identity.
The decision to temporarily retract the stations from men’s washrooms was difficult and saddening, but Armstrong reaffirmed that this is only meant to be a temporary change. She explained that it is important for members of the community to know that they have not given up on their original vision. The project intends on regrouping and returning to men’s washrooms in a more protective format.
“We don’t want them to think that people who choose hate can change that narrative. We want the project to be for everybody and we want it to be about love and about caring for each other. So, there’s a temporary setback, but we will figure out a way to make this work,” said Armstrong.
We don’t want them to think that people who choose hate can change that narrative. We want the project to be for everybody and we want it to be about love and about caring for each other. So, there’s a temporary setback, but we will figure out a way to make this work.
Lynn Armstrong, administrator, McMaster Okanagan
When asked about the future of this initiative, Armstrong explained that this is just the beginning of the journey towards accessible menstrual education and resources.
Armstrong explained that since the initiative is currently in its pilot stage, feedback and insight from the community on which bathrooms to target next and how to expand their project is extremely meaningful.
The Okanagan team intends on continuing this work into the next academic year and expanding their reach across more washrooms on campus.
“You know, we don’t ask people to bring their toilet paper. It’s 2023, you know? It’s time. We’re long overdue,” said Armstrong.
Period Pantry aims to advance menstrual equity movement
C/O Rita Audi
Two McMaster undergraduate students are improving accessibility to menstrual products in the Hamilton community through their new public period pantry project.
Rita Audi and Meghna Varambally, both in their second year of the health sciences program, recognized how hard it was for individuals of lower socioeconomic status to access menstrual products, especially during the COVID-19 lockdown.
The provincial lockdown closed many non-profit organizations, cutting off access of community members to free supplies.
To tackle this, Audi and Varambally started a period pantry with free supplies that will be outside and always accessible. The pantry will be community-based, with members donating and taking what they need.
One-third of Canadian menstruators under the age of 25 struggle to buy enough menstrual products every month.
One-third of Canadian menstruators under the age of 25 struggle to buy enough menstrual products every month.
This lack of access to sanitary hygiene products, also known as period poverty, prevents many menstruators from participating in work, school and social activities.
“We applied the same principles of a community fridge, which is "take what you need, donate what you can." Anyone can take what they need from it, and we hope to also raise awareness about period poverty in Hamilton,” explained Varambally.
The first pantry launched on Saturday, Feb. 27 at Dundurn Market, located at 346 Dundurn St. S, in Hamilton. This pantry project is part of a greater organization started by Audi and Varambally called Period Pop-Ups.
The organization aims to advance the menstrual equity movement in Hamilton through community engagement. They recently assembled a volunteer team to support the maintenance and logistics of the period pantry, including the expansion and creation of more pantries within the community.
“Our main goal for this is to raise awareness about [the lack of accessible] period products and spread the message that these products need to be free because they are not a privilege. They are a right to every menstruator around the world,” emphasized Audi.
“Our main goal for this is to raise awareness about [the lack of accessible] period products and spread the message that these products need to be free because they are not a privilege. They are a right to every menstruator around the world,” emphasized Audi.
According to Audi and Varambally, menstrual equity is a topic that is often overlooked and requires more effort both on the community and systems-based level.
“Menstrual products have been a high necessity for a while . . . we do want to emphasize that these are basic necessities for so many people out there and that's why we want to encourage people in the community to donate to the pantry as well,” said Varambally.
As they planned and implemented the pantry, Audi and Varambally explained the many logistics that had to be taken into consideration, such as funding and securing a strategically popular location.
The team expressed their gratitude to TakingITGlobal's RisingYouth for a $750 grant to supply the pantry. They are also grateful for support from Dundurn Market in being their first pantry’s location.
The Period Pop-Ups team plans to expand the number of pantries to the rest of the Hamilton community, along with cities such as Scarborough, Toronto and Mississauga. They hope to partner up with local community organizations to expand the number of people they can reach.
“We have gotten a great response from the community [so far]. People have reached out to volunteer with us or to donate with us already, so have really good hopes about this in the future,” said Audi.
On Jan. 25, The Silhouette sat down with Ontario New Democratic Party leader Andrea Horwath to discuss the Ford government’s recently announced changes to Ontario’s tuition framework, financial aid system and student fees.
On Jan. 17, the Ford government announced a 10 per cent reduction in the up front cost of tuition in Ontario. This came alongside a plan to tighten the eligibility requirements for the Ontario student assistance program, reduce grant money offered by OSAP and eliminate the six month grace period before loans must be paid back.
Additionally, the ministry announced that post secondary institutions will be required to allow students to opt out of paying non-tuition fees deemed “non-essential.”
According to Horwath, the 10 per cent tuition cost reduction will end up harming students.
“This decision that the government's made is deceitful first and foremost because the 10 per cent sticker price announcement really means nothing for affordability for students,” she stated.
Horwath said the proposed changes would cause students to graduate with more debt and pay higher interest fees.
The McMaster Students Union has expressed similar concerns.
“Grants are a far more effective form of student financial aid than loans. Rolling back OSAP eligibility and increasing the loan threshold will increase the debt load on many students,” said Ikram Farah, MSU president.
According to Horwath, the requirement of an opt-out for non-essential student union fees is a strategy to silence the voices of students.
“I think a lot of what the government is trying to do is weaken the student movement to silence the voices of young people,” she said.
The MSU released a statement saying that this provision might impact the advocacy abilities of student unions and provision of services and supports.
“The potential of optional fee structures for services could severely undermine the ability of students to organize and maintain robust student-oriented provisions, along with their representation to all levels of government,” stated the release.
According to Horwath, the proposed changes to tuition, fees and OSAP will impact more than just students because all Ontarians benefit from well-functioning post secondary institutions.
“It is going to affect everyone,” she stated. “It is going to affect families. It is going to affect the economy. It is going to affect the educators.”
She explained that weakening the student experience on campus, lowering the quality of education and burdening students with more financial distress mean that young people will not get the education that they need in order to participate in the workforce.
The Progressive Conservative party holds a 60 per cent majority, meaning that they have enough seats to pass legislation without the assent of other parties.
Despite this, Horwath believes it is still possible to advocate for change.
She noted that as a result of public outcry, the Ford government recently backtracked on a proposal open up the Greenbelt to developers.
According to Horwath, this demonstrates that broad resistance from Ontarians is key.
“I think this is a glimmer of hope to say that notwithstanding that it is a majority government, if you have a broad enough resistance and if you push hard enough […] then you have an opportunity to engage.”
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By: Mia Kibel
This week we’d like to talk about a topic you might expect from your friendly neighborhood feminists: periods and birth control.
Compared to other normal health events, there is a lot of ignorance surrounding contraception and menstruation. Most people can only name two or three kinds of birth control and one or two menstrual products. There is a lack of available information about cheap, environmentally friendly and equitable products. This is a huge disadvantage for anyone with a uterus; period-havers deserve choices that reflect the huge diversity of experience surrounding menstruation and contraception.
Everyone knows someone who feels that the pill made them crazy, who bleeds through tampons, or who can’t afford to be buying this stuff every month, which is just a few of the reasons why we need to know about as many of our options as possible. In the spirit of publicizing alternatives, I want to tell you about a method of birth control and a kind of menstrual product that are radically different from the kind we normally see.
Pregnancy can only occur when a person is ovulating, which normally happens once a month. Users of the “fertility awareness method” (FAM) prevent pregnancy by tracking their ovulation cycle, and avoiding pregnancy-causing sex on fertile days. It is possible to predict fertility to a high degree of accuracy using just a thermometer — there are even apps and thermometers available specifically for tracking fertility. However, when combined with other fertility tracking techniques, a regular thermometer is just fine. When tested in academic studies, the fertility awareness method (when used properly) shows pregnancy prevention rates similar to the pill — around 99.3 percent! It is completely hormone-free, creates no waste — except for possibly thermometer batteries, and paper for period-math — doesn’t cause heavier bleeding or cramping like some IUDs, is cheap and is comparative to other contraception in terms of safety.
Much like the lack of awareness surrounding FAM, most people also don’t know that a period doesn’t have to last five to seven days. Menstrual extraction is a process by which you can have your entire period all at once, not over a week. It can be done by a regular person — you! — not just medical professionals, with cheap and easily accessible equipment. If you’re interested, search around; there might be a feminist group or a midwife in your area that teaches the practice. This could make a huge difference in the lives of many. Currently for people who don’t use hormonal birth control, period skipping options are slim. There are those who might not want to have a normal period; it might be someone with severe cramps and an upcoming vacation, someone who is made uncomfortable by their periods, a sex worker who doesn’t want to lose a week’s worth of income, or an athlete with an upcoming event.
The only way to spread these revolutionary practices is to talk about them. Common arguments against these ‘radical’ solutions are that they require too much work, or that people do not yet have enough knowledge about their own biology. These are not good reasons to avoid the conversation. Individuals can decide for themselves if something is too much work or too hard, and we can’t just assume people are “too grossed out” or “too lazy.”
These options are radical not because they are different from the norm, but because they assume that period-havers are capable, intelligent and responsible owners of their own bodies. They take the control away from companies and doctors, and give primary responsibility to the individual. Current discourse around menstruation does not even begin to cover the full diversity of period-havers. Without these conversations, people who don’t fit the ‘normal’ menstruating mould will have no one to ask for advice, because doctors, friends, and parents aren’t always informed about the whole range of options. We all deserve solutions that put us in control, and that allow us to experience normal life events with dignity and empowerment instead of secrecy and shame. We are not going to stop talking about our uteri.
Photo Credit: MariGurumi
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