A menstrual product station in the first-floor women’s restroom of Gaylord Hall. OUWHA maintains more than 60 of these stations across the Norman Campus. Photo by Amy Acevedo.

Students at the University of Oklahoma are fighting to ensure everyone on campus, and throughout the state, has access to menstrual products. Period poverty is an issue in the country and around the world, despite a lack of coverage. The state of Oklahoma has greater rates of poverty than most other states, amplifying this issue.

Kylie Hutchinson, a senior microbiology major (pre-med, pre-PA), is determined to make a change on campus. Serving as president, Hutchinson, and other members of OU Women’s Health Advocacy (OUWHA) are working to provide free period products to all people who menstruate on the Norman campus.

“Period poverty is definitely a very real issue, especially here in Oklahoma. We have very high rates of [the] homeless population and people living below the poverty line here,” Hutchinson said.

OUWHA manages over 60 stations throughout campus, replenishing them weekly. It can cost upwards of $800 to restock these stations, with a limited amount of funding coming from the SGA. In previous years, about 80% of products came from sororities and other donation drives. OUWHA is looking to host a drive at the end of October that will include all Panhellenic and the Interfraternity Council.

Although this organization was just established in 2019, Hutchinson is pleased with the growth they’ve made.

“Like I said, [we’ve grown from] 15 stations to 60, our general body went from like 50 to 300. Our social media following went from like 400 to 1400,” Hutchinson said. “We’ve made enough of a name of ourself to really make tangible change here, and that’s what I’m most proud of.”

Christen Jarshaw, a fourth-year med student at OU’s College of Medicine, is looking to take down period poverty at the state level. Jarshaw serves as a bill requester with Sen. Jessica Garvin (R-Duncan), where she and others work to push forward legislation that would end period poverty.

The upcoming midterm elections, taking place on Nov. 8, will determine how Jarshaw, Garvin and others choose to advance.

“[We’re] figuring out the way we’d move forward, have conversation with his [Stitt’s] staff versus if Joy [Hofmeister] is elected. That would be very different,” Jarshaw said.

Both Hutchinson and Jarshaw report that proposed bills have been popular amongst legislators but fall to the wayside during election years.

“We did have a lot of support from both sides on the bill last semester, but it died in the House because it wasn’t heard on the day it was supposed to,” Hutchinson said. “Everyone supported it, but they were kind of hesitant because it was an election year.”

Although Jarshaw is frustrated with a lack of communication and transparency, she’s proud of the work that she, Garvin and the rest of their coalition have done.

“I could tell the way in which she [Garvin] was sacrificing other things to, you know, get our voices heard and to meet with other people,” Jarshaw said. “That was a really meaningful time to me, to see how much she was willing to sacrifice for our cause and for people around Oklahoma.”

More information on OUWHA is available here and more information about Garvin’s plans to combat period poverty is available here.