USAC campaign aims to provide students with free menstrual products

An undergraduate student government office will set up a menstrual product donation box outside Kerckhoff Hall 313 Wednesday, and create free kits for students available in Kerckhoff offices next quarter.

Aaliya Khan, an Undergraduate Students Association Council general representative, said she started the Menstrual Product Campaign because students do not have access to free menstrual products on campus.

Khan said money from a GoFundMe campaign, launched Jan. 30, will be used to purchase menstrual products. The GoFundMe campaign has since raised $55.

She added she thinks women are struggling to pay for tuition, and UCLA should provide menstrual products to alleviate the cost.

Ana Cantera, a third-year gender studies student, said she supports the campaign because it will increase discussion about the cost of menstrual hygiene products. Cantera added she thinks razors for women cost more than razors for men, which exemplifies the cost disparity between products for men and women.

Ria Jain, a staff member in Khan’s office and third-year molecular, cell and developmental biology student, said she thinks there should be a campus resource that provides pads or tampons in emergency situations.

Khan said she hopes the GoFundMe campaign will gain enough momentum to engage administrators in funding facilities that benefit women.

She added she wants to reopen discussions with administrators to create a women’s center, which other USAC council members have attempted to introduce in previous years. Khan said the center would function as a place where women can access necessary resources, such as menstrual products.

Cantera said she thinks a campus women’s center could foster confidence, comfort and support for women. She added the center could also benefit women who have been sexually assaulted by providing information and resources.