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    RUAS to offer free menstrual products via dispensers

    From autumn 2025, Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences will provide free menstrual products in toilet dispensers. The Executive Board made the decision to expand the existing service last Tuesday. The dispensers will be installed at all RUAS locations. Discussions are currently ongoing with several suppliers regarding the placement of the dispensers and the range of products they will offer.

    “RUAS aims to provide students and staff with a safe and pleasant learning and working environment. Concerns about access to menstrual products should not prevent this,” says Executive Board member Erik Boels. “We also believe it is important to contribute to equity in the city. Menstrual poverty, where someone does not have the means to buy menstrual products, prevents that from happening.”

    Anonymous and accessible

    Providing menstrual products via dispensers lowers the threshold. This has also been confirmed by experiences from an earlier pilot at Museumpark. “The dispensers make the products more accessible in this anonymous way. This further contributes to the sense of social safety we provide,” said Boels.

    There is a broad need for free menstrual products

    The issue has been a focus of attention within RUAS for some time. The Student Section of the Representative Board has raised the topic in discussions with the Executive Board, and individual students have also done so. Boels, “For us, this is further confirmation that we are taking an important step forward with this service.”

    The dispensers will be installed at all teaching locations in autumn. In 2026, the Real Estate and Facilities department will evaluate the service, making adjustments as necessary, such as the variety of menstrual products and the number of dispensers per location. The participation bodies will also be involved in this process.

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