Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) yesterday announced that period products will be stocked in bathrooms across campus in 10 different locations.
The scheme comes with the assistance of the Trinity Trust, which was created to provide philanthropic funds to ongoing university initiatives as well as maintaining connections and support for Trinity alumni.
The locations include the ground-floor women’s and wheelchair-accessible bathrooms in the Arts Block, the women’s and wheelchair-accessible bathrooms in the D’Olier Street building, the women’s bathrooms in the Ussher library, the St. James’ campus, the Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute (TBSI) and the business school as well as the ground-floor bathroom in House 6.
The products are being sourced from Riley, an Irish-owned brand specialising in biodegradable products that are free from harmful products. They will be restocked daily by Estates and Facilities.
In a statement posted to Instagram, TCDSU said: “Women, trans and non-binary people across the island continue to struggle against barriers to equality. Period dignity is one of the most basic things our community can ask for. If you menstruate, you should be able to access pads and tampons when you need them so that you can go about your day”.
They also stated that despite their “delight” at launching the scheme, “ten locations is not enough” and that period products should “be available in every toilet for all students and staff”.
They added: “On 8 March 2022, the Irish Government announced the roll-out of free period products in further education and the training sector. 9 colleges across 6 ETBs (Education and Training Boards) are involved in this pilot initiative, which will see free, sustainable period products and dispensers for students”.
“Trinity College Dublin is not included in this pilot project, and it is unlikely that public funding for period products will reach us anytime soon. Until that happens, it is vital that the College steps in to ensure that every bathroom across our campuses has a dispenser for free tampons and pads.”
They finished by highlighting the “overwhelming lack of gender-neutral bathrooms across college”, stating that they “are fighting on this” and that they “haven’t son until every member [of TCDSU] has equal access”.
