SSMU offers free sustainable menstrual products at monthly pick-up Promoting sustainability and destigmatizing periods at core of project

Cecilia Pedersen Contributor

Aline of students filled the McLennan-Redpath library complex lobby on Jan. 23, waiting for the first menstrual product pick-up of the semester to begin. The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) organized the pick-up as part of its Menstrual Health Project––an initiative that began in 2017 to provide free menstrual products to students via dispensers in bathrooms across campus.

Among the free products available to students were disposable pads and tampons, along with reusable products, such as menstrual underwear, reusable pads, and menstrual cups and discs. All the disposable products are biodegradable.

The SSMU Menstrual Health Project funds the initiative through a non-opt outable undergraduate student fee of $2.40 per semester. The project also received $50,000 from the McGill Office of Sustainability’s partially studentfunded Sustainability Projects Fund (SPF) to offer more sustainable products as of Fall 2022.

SSMU vice-president (VP) University Affairs Kerry Yang explained that reusable products, although more cost-effective in the long run, tend to be more expensive up-front, making them inaccessible for many students.

“Some students find out they don’t really like [a reusable product] but we want to give students the option to try different things and see what they like and not have cost be a barrier that prohibits them from getting access,” Yang said in an interview with The McGill Tribune

SSMU Menstrual Health

Commissioner Julia Miracle noted that most reusable products require access to private sinks, which may not always be available for students in university bathrooms or residence halls. So, offering sustainable disposable products is also critical to ensure students can use what is most comfortable for them.

Universities across Canada such as Western University and the University of Toronto are increasingly receiving administrative support to provide free menstrual products. While Yang is in support of funding and administrative support from McGill, he feels that there are benefits to the project being studentrun.

“The team does have the ability to push in different directions which is really great and we want to keep the autonomy,” he said.

Miracle agrees thatt McGill should step up to support the free menstrual product initiative but maintains that student involvement in the pick-up is important as the products offered are personalized and based on student requests.

“Keeping the monthly pick-ups student-run could be a great initiative [...] for students to learn facilitation roles, connect with the community,” Miracle said. “We could potentially [...] have McGill institutionalize the bathroom [product distribution], but have [SSMU] keep the pick-ups and try to expand.”

Students interviewed by the Tribune feel positively about the student-funded aspect of the project. Julia Toth, U3 Arts and Science, appreciates the quality of the service the fee has made possible.

“I love it. I think we have so many non-opt outable fees that we might as well start having things that actually benefit us, and this really benefits me,” Toth said. “I hardly actually go buy tampons anymore.”

Amelie Philipp Kirschner, U1 Arts, pointed out that the fees seem inconsequential compared to the lifetime costs otherwise associated with menstrual products. In Canada, menstruating people can spend up to $6,000 on menstrual products over their lifetimes.

“If we paid for all this by ourselves it would be so much more […] so I am fine with it because I use it,” Kirschner said.

One student in line for the pick-up told the Tribune that having the pick-up in a public location helps destigmatize periods. Providing students with access to hygienic products also means lessening the worries menstruation may otherwise bring, such as bleeding through clothes or not being able to participate in sports.

Yang and Miracle echoed these concerns. By removing the financial barriers associated with menstrual products, menstruating students can use their money for other necessities.

“We really want students who menstruate to have equal opportunities,” Yang said. “We want to foster a culture and community of sustainability not just economically, not just socially, [but also] addressing menstrual equity.”

McGill releases updated version of mandatory “It Takes All of Us” program

All students and staff must take the redesigned program by April 28

Lily Cason News Editor

Continued from page 1.

Content warning: Mentions of sexual violence

Felicia Gisondi founded the student-run non-forprofit Sex and Self to fill the gaps in trauma-informed and intersectional sexual health education. She recounted her experience taking the old “It Takes All of Us” program, which she found perfunctory and performative, to The McGill Tribune.

“I remember it being really easy to skip through,” said Gisondi, who is currently getting a master’s in psychiatry at McGill. “I also feel like it was a very, very easy way to say that your school does sexual health or sexual violence prevention because students are required to do a 45-minute digital training that they could probably do in 10 minutes if you skip through it correctly.”

The new “It Takes All of Us” takes around an hour to complete and is made up of five modules, still featuring “character-driven scenarios.” It is accessible through the MyCourses website and available in both French and English.

Frédérique Mazerolle, a McGill media relations officer, claims that the university did a “thorough overhaul” of the program, incorporating feedback from students, staff, and at least one postdoctoral researcher who specializes in sexual violence education.

“The [“It Takes All of Us”] refresh also puts sharper focus on the intersectionality of sexual violence and gender, race[,] and different abilities,” Mazerolle wrote in an email to the Tribune. “Additionally, given the difficult nature of some of the material, the refreshed [“It Takes All of Us”] has added more mindfulness and self-care resources for learners who may feel activated or overwhelmed while doing the program.”

The modules are designed to be completed in multiple sittings, and allow participants to save their progress. The program also has a “take a break” option that will guide users through a breathing exercise. OSVRSE urges any individuals who have or who anticipate having difficulty completing the program to reach out for confidential assistance and accommodations.

Unlike the old program, there is now only one version for both students and staff. All students and staff who started at McGill before Jan. 31 are required to complete the new “It Takes All of Us” by April 28—even if they had already taken the old version. Students who do not complete the program in time will have a hold placed on their Minerva accounts, making them unable to register for courses.

Gisondi, whose organization was not consulted during the program refresh, thinks that modules play an important role in sexual violence education, but are insufficient. She urged the university to invest in more counsellors and full-time OSVRSE staff, to recognize the “emotionally laborious” nature of the field, and fix the barriers to accessing care at the Wellness Hub.

“It Takes All of Us” was first introduced to meet requirements laid out in Bill 151, which seeks to bolster sexual violence education, prevention, and responses on university campuses. (Tigris Alt Sakda/ McGill Reporter) temporary closure, has very limited appointment availability according to their online booking tool.

“I feel like McGill really needs to reinvest in their sexual violence prevention, reinvest in OSVRSE, and make sure that staff are equitably and generously paid for the work that they’re doing,” Gismondi said. “There should not be less than 10 full-time paid staff at OSVRSE at any point in time. McGill has 40,000 students.”

Keith Bellec-Warrick is a longtime member of the Union for Gender Empowerment (UGE) and is the advocacy group’s finance coordinator. Bellec-Warrick, who is currently a graduate student in education, spoke to the Tribune on the day that the new program was released. He believes that the program has strengths, such as the module on consent, but also found the structure confusing at times. He pointed to a lack of continuity between modules, and thought that the section concerning sexual violence against men was not thorough enough.

One of Bellec-Warrick’s main grievances was that the new program frequently references the availability of OSVRSE’s services and fails to suggest alternatives like the Sexual Assault Centre of the McGill Students’ Society (SACOMSS). OSVRSE, although now open after a

“It just seems so irresponsible to release this program now when they don’t even have a functioning office,” BellecWarrick said. “I go on their website, there’s no information, it just shows a blocked out calendar where I can’t book an appointment, there’s no announcement that makes it obvious what the situation is. Imagine that I’m in a vulnerable situation.”

Like Sex and Self, UGE says it was not contacted during the remaking of the program. Bellec-Warrick thinks that this lack of consultation played into mistakes that he found while reviewing the program, such as poor French translations.

“The university doesn’t pursue or value the expertise of students, even though we have a lot to offer—and that’s a problem,” Bellec-Warrick said.

For any member of the McGill community in need of support regarding sexual violence, OSVRSE can be reached at 514-398-3954 or osvrse@mcgill.ca; SACOMSS can be reached at main@sacomss.org or over Zoom using the instructions on sacomss.org; the OMR can be reached at omr@mcgill.ca; and the province-wide Sexual Violence Helpline can be reached at 1-888-933-9007.