At the beginning of the spring semester, Health and Wellness Club introduced a new recurring event titled Female Power Hour. Implemented following a January-Term project developed by several students, the event was intended to give women a safe and comfortable space to lift weights as beginners or proficient lifters.

Shortly after Female Power Hour was introduced, the entire student body received an e-mail introducing Male Power Hour, which was intended to provide a space for beginner male lifters to engage in weightlifting.

“They implemented Female power hour with what may not be the best administrative approach and introduction of a program here on campus, so a lot of people were unaware of the change in policy for the weight room,” Senior History Major Micah Thornquist said. “When they tried to correct the inadequacies of their inaction of the program, I think they overcorrected and introduced Male Power Hour.”

Since the introduction of both Power Hours, students have been widely debating the value and intention of both events.

“Male Power Hour was an attempt to show that we have no bias toward women, we have no bias toward men, and we solely want the power hours to be in place so introductory weightlifters have a space to safely engage,” Thornquist said. “In the good intentions of trying to reallocate the time and make a more equal policy, they lost sight of the true purpose and reason for having Female Power Hour, which was to resolve the issue of having sexual harassment within the weight room and intimidation as a woman in that space.”

Some students are adamantly opposed to Male Power Hour, as it was introduced in response to Female Power Hour.

“Honestly, I think it’s just the guys overreacting to Female Power Hour,” Sophomore Dance and Communication Studies Major Dana Riebe said. “They basically own the weight room anyway, so they really shouldn’t need a Male Power Hour because it’s always Male Power Hour.”

Attitudes have shifted from support to opposition of the newly introduced Male Power Hour.

“I took women’s weight training last year solely so I was in the weight room when there weren’t men in the weight room,” Riebe said. “It’s gym culture: you always feel like you’re being stared at or they’ll try to ‘help you’ but it’s not actually helping. It’s just creepy.”

“In the good intentions of trying to reallocate the time and make a more equal policy, they lost sight of the true purpose and reason for having Female Power Hour.”—Micah Thornquist

Concerned that a personal story would be dismissed as a one-time occurrence, Riebe was quick to offer a broad explanation of her viewpoint.

“It’s a privileged versus non-privileged situation,” Riebe said. “When you’re privileged like that and the non-privileged group gets something, naturally you want to assert your dominance and privilege, which is exactly what is happening here.”

Before Male Power Hour was established, there was backlash from many students about the creation of Female Power Hour.

“The negative response toward Female Power Hour is indicative of a larger issue on campus, which is that people are still sexist and do not recognize things that are not equal,” Sophomore Political Science Major Holden Sauve said. “Female Power Hour is not at the most opportune times during the week, and the people I know who use the weight room really shouldn’t be affected by it.”

Students expressing their frustration about both Power Hours have offered ideas for solutions to the controversy sweeping through campus.

“I think that one solution would be having more Novice Power Hours for those who don’t know what they’re doing or want a safer space,” Sauve said. “I also think just having bigger facilities could be a solution. It’s incredibly uncomfortable because the room is so small and there are people waiting to use the weights that you’re using. It’s just an awkward space.”

With no solution to this debate in the works, many female students are left feeling as if their male peers have been given more power.

“I think the intention for Female Power Hour was to make us feel safe, but I don’t see a reason that there needed to be Male Power Hour,” Riebe said. “I think the intention behind it was to ‘make it even,’ but it wasn’t even in the first place so they’re just, again, putting women at a disadvantage.”

Health and Wellness Club continues to hold both Male and Female Power. Female Hours will be Mondays & Wednesdays: 8-9 p.m.; Tuesdays & Thursdays: 9-10p.pm. and Male Hours on Mondays & Wednesdays: 9-10 p.m.; Tuesday & Thursdays: 8-9 p.m.

-Kaity Young