With school back and in-person, the ARC has seen many students flocking through its doors in the past week.
However, not every student has been able to find what they are looking for.
On Sept. 31, some students anonymously took to Reddit to complain about the issue.
The problem at hand: hip thrust and abductor machines are only available in the Women’s Fitness Zone, making any student who doesn’t identify as female unable to access them.
The original post called the ARC out for being “sexist,” explaining that denying men access to certain machines was unfair. The poster expressed for the Women’s Fitness Zone as a concept, but simply wished all machines were available in the general zone.
This post received many comments from students who are also frustrated by this inequity. Commentors had no problem with the Women’s Fitness Zone as an area; their problem, however, was with certain machines being omitted from the general section.
Some were quick to point out possible adaptations that could work the same muscle groups just without using the machines. The Redditors, however, were not satisfied.
Many argued the proposed alternatives given are not always suitable, as there are few machines available that specifically target the muscle groups the abductor and hip thrust machines are designed to target. Although innovate athletes find ways to adjust using other machines, barbells, and cables, these options have their own limitations.
Ultimately, the anonymous discussion seemed to favour one solution: reach out to the ARC and make a formal complaint. Someone even dropped the exact email to which they should reach out.
When The Journal asked Athletics and Recreation (A&R), they suggested just that.
We encourage any and all students who have suggestions on how we can improve the service and equipment offerings we provide at the ARC to provide their recommendations to our Customer Service team, take part in one of our forthcoming surveys or leave their at any time by visiting rec.gogaelsgo.com/suggestions.”
According to A&R, the discrepancy between the sections is a result of decisions and suggestions made by of survey of the 2019-20 student population.
“[A&R] completed a renovation and expansion of the ARC’s Women’s Fitness Zone in January 2020 in collaboration with a committee of student leaders. As part of that collaboration, specific equipment offerings were acquired and installed after being identified as priorities for the space by s who offered their to the renovation process.”
In recognizing the changing demands of the student population, A&R is prepared to adjust if intentional is given.
The whole discussion is available on Reddit under r/queensuniversity.
Tags
All final editorial decisions are made by the Editor(s) in Chief and/or the Managing Editor. Authors should not be ed, targeted, or harassed under any circumstances. If you have any grievances with this article, please direct your comments to journal_editors@ams.queensu.ca.