The college, Student Government and Lafayette for Reproductive Autonomy, Justice and Empowerment, or L-RAJE, in a joint statement on Thursday announced that the Menstrual Equity Project would be institutionalized. According to Sophie Himmel, the L-RAJE president, this means that menstrual products will be provided for free on a permanent basis.
“I am thrilled that we were able to meet the goal that was outlined in the 2021 Menstrual Equity Open Letter that L-RAJE released,” Himmel said.
The letter had called for universal menstrual product access on campus by the 2023-2024 academic year and called for the college administration to raise “awareness about these free and sustainable menstrual products and menstruation in general” and “support the promotion of menstrual equity in Easton and the Greater Lehigh Valley.”
Himmel believes that the administration is now normalizing menstrual equity, “which is exactly what we wanted them to do to the point that the dispensers will always be stocked. And now that this announcement has been made, that’s like their credible commitment that we can now always hold them to.”
Menstrual products, according to the announcement, “will be stocked on the same regular rotation as toilet paper and paper towels” in over 30 bathrooms across campus. According to L-RAJE, the cost of the Mestrual Equity Project is $8,000 annually.
Menstrual products will be additionally stocked in the Pard Pantry, which falls under the purview of Student Government. According to the announcement, the college “offered to enable 24/7 access to Pard Pantry with Lafayette ID/swipe card access starting in the coming school year.”
Student Government president Thania Hernandez ’25 could not immediately be reached for comment.
Himmel, L-RAJE vice president of programming Rebekah Lazar ’26, college President Nicole Hurd, and the heads of the college’s finance and inclusion divisions negotiated the deal over the span of two days last week.
“They really did listen and take notes on what we were saying and I do think that they will do well with implementing this at the institutional level,” Himmel said. “I’m excited to see where this goes from here.”
College spokesman Scott Morse, in an email sent to The Lafayette on behalf of the administration, wrote that the administration is “glad to institutionalize this project that was initiated by our students.”
“Partnerships among students, faculty, and staff are one of the ways our community continues to strengthen and be more inclusive,” he continued.
The development follows a demonstration staged by L-RAJE three weeks ago to protest the college administration’s insufficient funding of the Menstrual Equity Project. In the weeks since the protest, a petition created by L-RAJE amassed approximately 500 signatures. The organization also received dozens of testimonials from students about their campus menstrual experiences.
