During the BASE-ic Necessities event, held this February at the College of Business and Economics, students and faculty members assembled 200 period packs. Period packs include essential hygiene items — including tampons, pads and cleansing wipes — and they’ll be distributed throughout the Treasure Valley. The event was a partnership between the Business Analytics Service Experience (BASE) Club and the Boise Period Project. It offered a way to serve, but also provided BASE Club students with context for their long-term analytical work with the nonprofit.
Members of BASE Club typically work behind the scenes. Each semester they partner with area nonprofits to complete analytics-related projects, interpreting data and developing dashboards to improve organizational operations. For one of this spring’s projects, BASE students are creating a comprehensive survey with Boise Period Project to gather solid statistics on how period poverty — the inability to afford menstrual products or access to hygiene education — specifically affects Idahoans. Hosting the BASE-ic Necessities event gave students firsthand experience with the physical side of Boise Period Project’s mission.
Mallori Bjerke, the executive director and co-founder of Boise Period Project, is a 2020 College of Business and Economics graduate who studied business administration. Bjerke’s experience as a former COBE student made her a natural partner for the BASE club’s initiative.
“As a College of Business and Economics alumni, the Boise Period Project is thrilled at the prospect of working with BASE to help students gain working experience with a community organization,” Bjerke said. “Our team has been trying to find a way to better grasp how period poverty affects Idahoans, so when we were presented with this opportunity, we knew that working with BASE was the perfect fit for this goal. It’s a very symbiotic relationship all around!”
Olivia Profumo, an accountancy senior now in her third year with the BASE club, is one of the students putting these analytical skills into practice with Boise Period Project.
“Working with BASE and the Boise Period Project has been both impactful and eye-opening,” Profumo said. “This project has deepened my understanding of period poverty and how it affects low-income and unhoused menstruators in our community, as well as the stigma and lack of education surrounding it. Helping them gather data and statistics for the Treasure Valley not only gives me meaningful hands-on experience with my data analytical skills, but also connects me to a form of community service I hadn’t previously known existed.”
Students or nonprofit organizations who are interested in getting involved in future BASE projects can reach out to BASE advisors Christie Fuller (christiefuller@boisestate.edu) and Shelly Moore (shellymoore@boisestate.edu).