On April 30, 2025, Pennsylvania’s First Lady Lori Shapiro, Senator Carolyn Comitta ’74 and Acting Secretary for the PA Department of Education Dr. Carrie Rowe visited West Chester University and met with students, faculty, staff and administrators to discuss the importance of ensuring students have access to period products and learn more about student needs.
WCU Resource Pantry
The University’s Resource Pantry, which first opened in 2016 and later added multifaceted services by aligning with the Center for Civic Engagement & Social Impact, offers one-stop shopping for non-perishable food, fresh produce, toiletries, and school supplies.
No student should have to miss out on higher education and the future career opportunities that come with it because of food or basic needs insecurity. While student hunger is a growing issue on campuses across the nation, I’m proud of the work being done at West Chester University and across Pennsylvania to ensure that students have the nutrition and resources they need to learn and thrive. I thank the First Lady, Governor Shapiro, and the University for their leadership and support of this important partnership.
Sen. Comitta, who serves on the Senate Education Committee
Thanks to much-needed financial support, the Center has been able to expand pantry services available to students at its West Chester campus through on-line ordering; increase options for students to access food during evening and weekend hours via on-line order pickup; increase access to healthy and allergy-friendly food; support the expansion of the Resource Pantry at the Philadelphia location; build upon resources to support students in applying for benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); and increase students’ access to off-campus resources.
Meeting students’ basic needs continues to be an imperative. Pennsylvania is proud that the students, faculty, and staff at West Chester University have not only made this a priority but are modeling ways that others can do the same across the Commonwealth and throughout the nation. We continue to be quite proud of the way this University community has stepped up to make an ongoing difference in the lives of students.
Acting Secretary of Education Dr. Carrie Rowe
Launch of The Period Project
Meeting college students’ basic needs, however, is not a one-and-done undertaking. The University became aware of another challenge facing its students — accessing menstrual products due to financial constraints. The launch of the Period Project has helped change much of this by providing free menstrual products in highly frequented on-campus bathrooms.
Period products are a basic hygiene necessity for students, yet too many young people across the Commonwealth face uncertainty about access during the school day. I was grateful to visit West Chester University today to learn more about how they launched the Period Project to help provide free menstrual products in campus bathrooms and hear directly from students about how it’s impacting their lives. This program will help move past stigma, provide essential health products and give students the dignity and peace of mind they deserve.
First Lady Lori Shapiro
The Period Project was inspired in 2021 as the subject of a Global Studies minor capstone course taken by WCU alumna Katie Kerr ’22. Katie led the implementation of the project and chose to focus her senior capstone research on collecting data on the need for menstrual equity on WCU’s campus.
From there, WCU alumnae Megan Harth ’24 and Lilly-Dawn Harkins ’25 committed themselves to helping their peers secure essential menstrual products at no cost and on a consistent basis. The two were joined in their grass-roots efforts by The Resource Pantry, in partnership with the Center for Women and Gender Equity, the Center for Civic Engagement and Student Impact and the current Period Project Coordinator Anna Roe ’26.
The collective work soon led to a collaboration with Aunt Flow to mount dispensers with free menstruation products on the walls of the highest-trafficked bathrooms on campus.
It was a great honor to welcome First Lady Lori Shapiro, Senator Comitta, and Acting Secretary Dr. Carrie Rowe to our campus yesterday. Thanks to the First Lady, the engagement with our students who are working to address basic need insecurities among their peers was both inspiring and affirming. The visit not only validated the important work that our students and the University are doing, but also created a valuable opportunity for the students to share their experiences directly with those who are equally concerned with ensuring the success of all students throughout the Commonwealth.
Dr. Laurie Bernotsky, President of West Chester University
University Support
In spring 2024, senior leaders invited Lilly-Dawn and Megan to discuss the Period Project’s details at a cabinet meeting. The two students pitched the administrators about the need for the University to assume financial support for a more permanent network of dispensers.
It was at an on-campus Honors College event in fall 2024 that next steps came about; Lilly-Dawn took the initiative to present a proposal to President Laurie Bernotsky. Understanding the project’s importance, President Bernotsky and the members of the cabinet agreed without hesitation.
This was a brilliant idea that emanated from concerned students who saw a critical need, collaborated with others, and worked to make it happen. We were eager to assist and establish a process whereby the University could provide free menstrual products to students who need them. As advocates and defenders of all our students, we will do whatever we can at this University to remove barriers that impede their success. This has been a win-win for our students and our entire community of learners.
President Bernotsky
Today, the University’s Facilities Department provides the inventory, distribution and maintenance of the dispensers on campus.
“We all have basic needs to live safe, healthy, and productive lives. As a West Chester University alumna, I am so proud that our campus is a leader in ensuring that students have access to the nutrition, period products, and other basic necessities they need to live, learn, and grow,” said State Senator Carolyn Comitta. “No student should have to miss class because they cannot access menstrual hygiene products. No student should have to go hungry to access the dream of higher education. Thanks to the work of our student leaders, WCU staff, Dr. Bernotsky, and Governor Shapiro and First Lady Lori Shapiro, they won’t.”
Governor Shapiro secured $3 million in his 2024 budget to provide free menstrual products for students in K-12 schools because he is committed to ensuring that they have the necessary tools to succeed in the classroom. In his 2025 budget proposal, he called for another $3 million to continue providing these products at no cost for students.
Access to period products is about equity, dignity, and removing barriers to education. No student should have to choose between their health and their education. I commend West Chester University for taking this important step and setting a powerful example of what it means to truly support students’ well-being inside and outside the classroom.
Acting Secretary of Education Dr. Carrie Rowe
“The Governor’s Advisory Commission on Next Generation Engagement applauds West Chester University for launching this program and providing free period products to ensure no student has to miss class due to the lack of access,” said Ruby Mundok, Executive Director, Governor’s Advisory Commission on Next Generation Engagement. “It’s great to see more Commonwealth universities prioritizing students’ basic hygiene needs and working to destigmatize the topic and amplify student voices.”
Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony with First Lady Lori Shapiro for New Aunt Flow Dispenser
Following the student roundtable, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at the Sciences and Engineering Center & The Commons (SECC), where a new Aunt Flow dispenser had recently been installed in the second-floor women’s bathroom. The day of discussion and celebration culminated with a tour of WCU’s Resource Pantry in Commonwealth Hall.
The period project is near and dear to my heart, and I am so thankful for the work that Megan and Lilly-Dawn continued after my departure from West Chester University. I applaud the administration for listening to the concerns of these student advocates and taking actionable steps to invest in a previously unmet need and broaching a topic that is often heavily stigmatized. The continuation of the Period Project ensures that no student needs to miss vital class time or carry the burden of basic need insecurity alone.
Katie Kerr
