Period.box at the University of Constance
With our period.box project, we, the Department of Sustainability, Social Affairs and Gender Equality from the Student Council, want to support menstruating students and encourage discussions on the topic of menstruation. The box is designed to provide free emergency supplies if you have forgotten your menstrual products at home or have unexpectedly started your period. At the University of Konstanz, students have largely been left alone with their menstruation. This is a particular burden in situations where periods start unexpectedly. Although hygiene products are sold in the Seezeit store, it is not always open. In addition, hygiene products are only sold there in whole packs, which are often not needed in an emergency, for example if the menstruating person has a menstrual cup or their own hygiene products but has forgotten them at home. In such cases, students have reported having to leave the university or library earlier than planned or using toilet paper as a sanitary napkin. We see it as the university's responsibility to offer a reliable point of contact where tampons and sanitary towels can be found if required. Another point is the additional financial burden. The luxury tax on sanitary products was only recently abolished. Costs for painkillers, menstrual tea etc. are not included in this calculation. Menstrual cups are a sustainable alternative to tampons and pads. Unfortunately, there are currently no gender-neutral information pages on hygiene products.
We would like to take this opportunity to emphasize once again that menstrual products are intended for all menstruating people and are not a product that exclusively affects cis women.
Our request to you: Your feedback is very helpful and important for the continuation of the campaign. Knowing how the project is perceived helps to clarify the sustainable financing of the project. So please send us an email to stuve.nasogl@uni-konstanz.de - a short reply is also sufficient. If our period.box is empty, please always send an email to our NaSoGl department so that we can refill it quickly.
Location of our Period.box:
In the two A5 toilets under the Audimax (in the drawer under the changing table)
- "Herren WC (A573)"
- "Damen WC (A574)"
Note: In 2024 we will be expanding our period.box to other locations! We will keep you informed about this!