Interview with Shimoli Parikh, Founder of Period@SHU
By Lev D. Zilbermints
“Local Talk” recently did an interview with the founder of Period@SHU, Shimoli Parikh. This organization fought to place menstrual dispensers on campus. How this happened is best described in the interview below.
Lev D. Zilbermints: When was Period@SHU founded? By Instagram posts, it looks like Fall 2019. Is this correct?
Shimoli Parikh: Yes, that is correct! I founded the club during my freshman year in Fall 2019.
LZ: What motivated you to advocate for installing menstrual dispensers on campus?
SP: Honestly, there were a few moments during my freshman year where I didn’t have a product with me at the time because I did not need to carry a bag with me due to my residence in the dorms. I think that made me recognize the need for products on campus for our students, and I’ve been pushing for them ever since. I believe that menstrual products should be as accessible as toilet paper and the other hygiene products we may find in the restrooms.
LZ: How did the SHU administration respond to your initiative? Why were they reluctant?
SP: The only direct pushback I’ve received from the administration was in the initiative’s initial stages, as they were worried that students may steal the products. Otherwise, I don’t think the administration has given me a negative response to the initiative. Instead, they made the path to reach the end goal extremely long and difficult due to their perceived lack of support for the initiative on campus and their idea that products would be stolen. For every step I want to take, there seems like ten steps I have to complete beforehand in order to gain approval. Although I understand the need for an implementation process that will not waste the school’s money, we should not have to wait over half a year to install a single dispenser on campus.
I was told to create surveys and collect student opinions about the initiative, which took the entire fall semester to complete in order to gain approval for a small amount of funds. Small steps like these are, in my opinion, unnecessary because I believe access to these products should not be up for debate and up to student opinion but instead there for any student that may need the product. It is clear that the administrators are fine with taking their time on initiatives because they will be here for years, but since students will only be here for four, work needs to be done faster.
LZ: I understand the Student Government Association gave you a lot of assistance in bringing the menstrual dispenser issue to the table.
SP: Yes! A big reason I joined SGA was to work on this initiative and gain support from the different colleges and voices from the student body. Both E-boards have been extremely helpful through this process and have given me many different contacts and tips so that the initiative is able to succeed. Before I joined SGA, I was in contact with Julia Nicolls, the past SGA president. She was able to put me in contact with several administrators and other students interested in the initiative, and she was also able to come to my meetings with administrators to help me with communication. My goal for my last semester in SGA is to make the Menstrual Product Initiative a part of the Gender and Equity Task Force, which will allow students after me to work on the initiative in the future.
LZ: What is your feeling about the issues raised by Protecting Pirates just recently and Concerned 44 in 2018-2019?
SP: I am in full support of everything Protecting Pirates stands for. I know from experience how frustrating the administration can be, and I can’t even imagine how hard it must be to work on such a sensitive topic. This university needs to rework their Title IX policies, and frankly their Title IX office staff as well. Students who have experienced any violence or harassment should never be dissuaded from speaking out, and it is a shame that our university is ready to protect the offenders and blame the victims.
LZ: Can you tell our readers what needs to be addressed at SHU? What has already been taken care of?
SP: Honestly, I can give you a very long answer to this question, but all my answers stem from the same singular main problem: our administration is very hesitant to make changes. Whether it’s in regard to menstrual products, environmental change, Title IX policies, problematic professors, or any problem that students find pressing at the moment, the administration works in a way that makes every single change a long-winded process. As our student bodies grow, so will the voices of our students, and these problems will have to be handled eventually–no matter how much administrators may resist.
In regard to the second part of your question, I don’t think I’ve been here long enough to know what has been addressed. In my opinion, the environment of the university has become more understanding and flexible due to the COVID-19 and racial matters that were seen throughout these past few years. Of course, this is only what I have seen through my less than two years in-person on campus.
LZ: Can I quote you by name? Or would you rather have it as “one of the Period@SHU organizers?”
SP: Yes, you can quote me!
LZ: What is your perception of how SHU handles the rights of female students on campus?
SP: I feel as if the administrators believe they are walking on eggshells when these problems arise because they know everyone is watching. Instead of combating the problem head first, they seem to avoid making actual changes and simply send the same redundant emails to the student body about school policies. I believe there is also a tendency of administrators to not believe female victims and instead protect the male offenders. If every student has a voice on campus, why are half of them not being heard?
