As of 1 March, we will be discounting our range of feminine hygiene products in our shops, a request that was raised at our most recent Union Council meeting.

A student approached Chris Kaye, our Deputy President (Welfare), about the lack of access to, and price of, feminine hygiene products on campus. Following this, he then brought a paper to Council to discuss the issue, and consulted with the Union’s Management Team about how to bring about change to address this issue. It was suggested that these products were sold at cost price, and after agreement with the Management Team and Council members, this will come into effect next month.

The Council is the paramount policy-making, scrutiny and accountability body of the Union and in effect the democratic voice of the student body. Its membership is entirely drawn from the student body. Bringing a paper to Council to instigate change is very easy. As any full member of the Union (i.e. any Imperial student) is able submit a paper. Our Officer Trustees can help you if you need information - just send them an e-mail. All papers require a proposer and a seconder, and your seconder must also be a full member of the Union. Once a paper is passed at Council, relevant changes will be implemented at the Union.

Chris Kaye commented, “For many women, sanitary products are an essential rather than a luxury. It seems right therefore that these should be sold at minimum cost to our students and wider Imperial community. The Union management team were very amenable to the idea, for which I am very grateful.”

Chris’ paper can be found here on our website. All of the papers for each meeting are listed online in our Your Union section. 

You can turn advocacy into action and evoke change such as this to make the student experience at Imperial even better. Visit the new Campaigns section on our website for more information about campaigning through the Union, or visit our Union Council pages to find out how to submit a paper to Council.