Emerson College will put period products in all women’s, men’s, gender-neutral bathrooms

The Emerson College Boston campus will soon have menstrual products in all women’s, men’s and gender-neutral bathrooms after a major push from students.

The period products will be free to all members of the Emerson community.

This move from the college comes after the student advocacy group Emerson Flows launched a petition for period products in all Emerson bathrooms.

“Thanks to the advocacy of Emerson Flows and the Class of 2026 class council, the college is pleased to announce that Facilities Services will begin stocking all public restrooms with menstrual products beginning July 1, 2023,” the Emerson dean for campus life and the president of Emerson Flows wrote to students over the weekend.

“Once this expanded program begins, facilities services staff will routinely check and replenish supplies,” they later added in the letter. “Any community member who becomes aware of a restroom needing additional supplies is encouraged to contact the facilities services staff.”

About 30% of Emerson bathrooms have been furnished with period products up to now.

Leaders from Emerson Flows — whose goal is to educate the college community on menstrual issues, advocate for the rights of people who menstruate, and provide menstrual products to those without access in the Boston-area — implored the campus to supply period products in all bathrooms.

The group in the petition wrote about a scenario in which a student’s period unexpectedly begins while they are in class.

“… It will not help if the bathroom they rush to is one of the bathrooms not actively supplied with period products,” the group wrote in the petition. “Menstruators cannot control when and where their periods occur; it can happen anytime, anywhere, and it will not help them any if the nearest bathroom to their classroom is a bathroom that does not dispense period products.

“But while they cannot control this, the Emerson administration has control to house period products in all Emerson bathrooms to avoid a situation like this from ever happening,” the petition stated.

In the letter to students, the Emerson dean for campus life and the president of Emerson Flows also said menstrual products will be available through the Student Success Pantry, located in the Walker Building, Suite 211 — which offers shelf-stable food products and personal care items.

They wrote, “We appreciate the support of the student body, Emerson Flows, facilities services, and other members of the college community who have helped make this program possible.”