By Ash Nichols on February 27, 2020 Students Mo Purdy, Teagan Davis, and Ash Nichols Inspired by our community and prompted by a class assignment, current first year students Teagan Davis, Ash Nichols, and Mo Purdy took a class project to make change here at MCAD. For a final project in Richard Hackler’s Writing and Inquiry class, the students were prompted to collaborate on a research project, where the three shared interest in expanding the conversation surrounding reproductive health. Students shared with the class issues they were interested in researching more about and then chose groups based on shared common interests. Having an open ended research based project, Davis, Nichols and Purdy decided this was a perfect time to collaborate expand on a topic they were passionate about: sexual health and education. After conducting research and participating in discussions, the students decided to bring this project past the classroom and into our community. Students made a goal to bring accessible menstrual products to all MCAD restrooms. The project is simple: when Davis, Nichols, and Purdy discussed the assignment, the topic of accessible menstrual products was at the front of the conversation. Students noticed that one MCAD women’s bathroom contained a small basket containing a range of menstrual products, with a simple message “Take what you need”. The question arose, “Why aren’t there menstrual products available for all bathrooms, for all students and community members, despite location or gender?” Although the idea was simple and clear, how to make this happen would prove a little more difficult. Students started brainstorming ideas and scheduling meetings to get support from their community. To further their investigation, Davis, Nichols, and Purdy conducted a survey of MCAD students, faculty and staff, and visitors to gather information. The survey asked questions seeking community members’ opinions on access to reproductive health and sex ed to further their project. Students then brought the results to meet with MCAD’s Vice President of Student Affairs Jen Zuccola and Student Counseling and Wellness Director Beth Stockinger to discuss how to bring the project to life. Discussions followed of how to make this project come to life, including how it will be funded and how it will be maintained and stocked. With full support from Zuccola, Stockinger, and MCAD, as of the spring 2020 semester every single MCAD restroom is stocked with free menstrual products. This action is a progressive move for our gender diverse community. What was the inspiration for working on this project? Purdy: Obviously with the classroom prompt for our project, my mind immediately went to the tampon tax. It had been coming up in a lot of conversations I was having and I had also been seeing a lot about period equality in my different social medias. I think once we teamed up together was when I really felt not only inspired to do this, but also like okay we could ACTUALLY do this. Nichols: I think this topic is something we individually all care immensely about. We all got inspired by each other, by our passions, and by our community. We felt like we had a platform and an opportunity to make a change and that was exciting for us all, especially since it’s such an important and powerful change! What was/ has been the reaction from MCAD community members surrounding this project? Nichols: I’ve had so many people reach out to me and stop me in the halls telling me they’re excited about the changes on campus. I see the products being used and restocked, it’s awesome. This project has always been for the community. Davis: The project has been very well received by so many MCADians and I hope it will inspire others outside of the MCAD student environment to try to make a product push in their own spaces. Purdy: I haven’t talked much to faculty but I got a text from my roommate like the first day they were out and it was really cool to see her being appreciative of it. I think it’s a small thing that either people won’t notice at all or will notice and say something positive. What was the most rewarding part of this project for you? Davis: This project is the kind of thing that has a direct impact on our community. I have personally benefited from the product baskets, and already I have heard from multiple people that they were able to access these products as well. Having steady access to menstrual products makes our school a safer and more welcoming learning environment, and I feel grateful that our project had that impact on the community. Purdy: I think the most rewarding thing about this project and any project is forming an idea and watching it all the way to completion. At the beginning we didn’t even know if this was attainable so just seeing the cause and effect from us deciding to find out what we could do about it to actually seeing them in the bathrooms is super rewarding. Explore more about Mo Purdy Teagan Davis Ash Nichols