Menstrual products on campus
03/17/2026Where can I find free menstrual hygiene products at the university? An online map from the Office of the Women's Representative shows. The Faculty of Arts has even gained a supporter.
Good study conditions not only include excellent teaching and an efficient academic infrastructure, but also campus facilities that make everyday life easier.
"For more than half of our students, menstrual products are a necessary everyday item," says JMU's Women's Representative, Professor Helga Stopper.
Menstrual products are already available free of charge in a number of places on campus. To give students an overview, Stopper's team has created an online map that shows all relevant campus locations. The map also shows all-gender toilets and other service rooms on campus.
Contact: Office of the University Women's Representative, unifrauenbeauftragte@uni-wuerzburg.de
According to the Women's Office, the menstrual products on campus are financed in different ways: for example, the student's representation covers the costs of the products in the Hubland canteen for one year. In other places, chairs pay for the products.
Strong commitment at the Faculty of Arts
The Faculty of Arts has shown a particularly remarkable commitment to the university community: A company was also recently acquired there to donate menstrual products to the faculty.
The driving forces behind the initiative were and are the students Vera Maria Knott and Julia Fischer, the spokespersons of the student council. "From summer 2025, we brainstormed together with the Faculty Women's Representative Birgit Terhorst about how such a project could be implemented," says Vera Maria Knott.
As a result, from October 2025, sanitary towels and tampons were initially available in baskets in two toilets in the PH1 building (Philosophy building) and in a toilet in the Institute of Geography. The student council financed the products through donations from private individuals and from its association money.
Company donates menstrual products on a permanent basis
When the students reported on their initiative at a meeting with the Deans of Studies, Matthias Schulz and Mary Ann Snyder-Körber, they were impressed by the exemplary commitment to strengthening the common good.
They decided to support the students and pursue the project together. The Dean of Studies and students worked together to find a company, Dirk Rossmann GmbH, that would generously support the cause. The legal framework was discussed together with the university's legal department and the University of Würzburg GmbH.
"This is how we envisage joint action and cooperation beyond university teaching. After all, the university is a community of learners and teachers," says Matthias Schulz. Vera Knott adds: "This fits in with our new motto 'ZusammenPhil', which we want to use in future for initiatives and as a hashtag on our Instagram account @fachschaft_phil_uni_wue and on our homepage."
"The products donated by Rossmann are pads and tampons from the Organic line. The tampons are available in three sizes, mini, normal and super. This means we can now cater to different needs," said the student council spokeswomen.
Student council asks for donations
The student council would like to expand the project: For the 2026 summer semester, the menstrual products will also be available from a first dispenser, which will be placed outside the toilets in the Phil building 2.
Further dispensers are planned. In order to be able to finance them, the student representatives have set up a donation account. Anyone who would like to donate money can contact the student representatives by e-mail at fsv.philosophische-fakultaet@uni-wuerzburg.de.
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