Free but unreliable, menstrual product dispensers cause frustration

Some women on campus are outraged over the lack of care for the free menstrual product dispensers in the bathrooms of Algonquin College.

“It’s really cool that it’s free in some bathrooms but every time I go to the one (bathroom) in building-A, there’s never any pads and a bunch of tampons, which makes me rage as a non-tampon girl,” said Alexis Goulais, a first-year tourism travel service student.

Some people may choose to wear a pad instead of a tampon due to cultural and/or religious beliefs, or even because of a recent study done by the University of California, Berkeley, which showed tampons may contain toxic metals, such as arsenic and lead.

“I have noticed some products spilled on the floor because of broken dispensers,” said Aleksandra Terajewicz, a first-year electrical engineering technician student.

Terajewicz said they saw this happen in the second floor J-building bathroom and that it has occurred more than once.

“Even though the dispensers can be broken, it is really nice to have essentials accessible to people in need,” said Terajewicz.

Patricia Thome, ​supervisor of Custodial and Grounds Operations, said Algonquin College students play an essential role in supporting this project, and supporting each other.

“The main goal of this project is to ensure the college community can access free menstrual products if needed,” said Thome.

“It can be achieved by operating the dispensers respectfully and taking only the necessary tampon or pad when needed, that way we can ensure many students will be able to access free menstrual products since the resources are limited,” said Thome.

Sarah Packham, a first-year hairstyling student, is concerned about the dispensers and also the cleanliness of women’s washrooms.

“The school doesn’t actually care to refill them (menstrual product dispensers). They barely care to refill the toilet paper,” said Packham. “Half of the time I’m there, there’s no toilet paper.”

Packham said sinks and toilets are sometimes clogged, there’s garbage on the floor and she has even seen roaches and worms in one of the B-building women’s washrooms.

“It’s a serious issue,” said Packham. “It’s not just the menstrual products…there’s a lot wrong with the school functionally.”

Packham said she reached out to the school about her concerns but never heard back.

According to Thome, the product dispensers are checked and restocked on a schedule. If a member of the college community notices that the product dispensers require to be serviced, they can contact the Facilities Service Desk via email or submit a request.