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By SU Public Relations

SALISBURY, MD---It’s something most every girl has heard upon reaching puberty: “We don’t talk openly about our periods.”

ÃÛÌÒÇéÈË senior Maggie Atherton disagrees. She believes reproductive health deserves as much attention as any other topic of wellbeing related to any human, female or male.

That’s one of the reasons that, in fall 2023, she founded Freedom, Learning and Advocacy for Reproductive Equity (FLARE), SU’s student chapter of Planned Parenthood Generation Action. The organization’s goal: educate students on stigmatized topics and provide students with reproductive health resources.

When producers from Condé Nast, owner of the Teen Vogue brand, learned about Atherton’s work on campus, they knew SU would be a perfect partner for their collaboration with U by Kotex and the Alliance for Period Supplies to end period poverty by connecting and supporting organizations like FLARE.

Representatives from Condé Nast, Teen Vogue and U by Kotex recently paid a visit to SU to hand out free sample boxes of raised-center pads and gather student testimonials about their own experiences with the stigma around menstruation and period poverty (lack of access to safe and hygienic menstrual products, inaccessibility to basic sanitation services, and lack of access to menstrual hygiene education).

Producers working with the program captured the SU event for a video released today by Teen Vogue. The video is available online on its social media platforms, including ,   and .

“Seeing brands as big as Teen Vogue and U by Kotex on our campus was amazing and inspiring,” said Atherton. “This event was crucial in fighting period poverty stigma on our campus.”

The event was just the latest in FLARE’s work advocating for menstruators and helping make SU a more inclusive campus. Previously, Atherton and FLARE connected with Aunt Flow, a women-owned menstrual distribution organization that helps schools and businesses supply products to students and employees.

With the assistance of SU administrators, a pilot program was launched with Aunt Flow this fall, with 32 new stainless-steel menstrual product dispensers in bathrooms across campus providing free products to SU students. U by Kotex representatives supplemented that supply during their campus visit.

“We hope that with the program’s success, SU will choose to expand the pilot program, which would result in the dispensers in every public bathroom on campus,” said Atherton.

For more information about FLARE, or to get involved, email Atherton.

Learn more about SU and opportunities to Make Tomorrow Yours at the SU website.