26 Let’s dig a little further into all of this misogyny

ETIQUETTE FOR BEING FIT

by Abby Bratton \ illustration by Elizabeth Dettman \ design by Cassy Smithies

warm up notes

As the semester begins, remember that a balanced lifestyle means more than just a balanced class schedule. Academics are important, but they won’t keep you physically healthy (or train you for the zombie apocalypse). For that, RIT offers intramural and club sports, wellness courses and, of course, the hard slog down the Quarter Mile to your 8 a.m. classes. The university also maintains recreational facilities, including the Judson/Hale Aquatics Center and the Red Barn Climbing Gym. But if you hate depths and can’t stand heights, don’t worry! The Wiedman Fitness Center provides a more traditional gym setting for workouts.

Before you hop onto a treadmill, take the time to learn the fitness center’s rules for courteous behavior. While most of these expectations are universal to all gyms, Wiedman lays out seven core etiquette standards.

BLOOD, SWEAT AND TEARS

(WELL, SWEAT, AT LEAST)

The first etiquette policy listed by the Wiedman Fitness Center is “Wipe down the equipment after use.” Nobody wants to deal with your sweat — they have enough of their own already. Beyond that, diseases that can be transmitted through sweat pose a serious risk, according to Associate Director of Recreation Jennifer Lewis. She listed methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), which can be spread through skin-to-skin or skin-to-sharedequipment contact, as a prime example of this.

“That’s one of the big reasons why we have the fitness attire policy in place: ... to minimize that skin-to-equipment contact, to prevent those kinds of diseases,” Lewis explained.

Amelia Sykes, a fourth year Marketing major who works in the fitness center, gave another reason to abide by the dress code: no employee wants to have an awkward conversation with you about what you’re wearing. That’s uncomfortable for everyone.

Sweating causes other issues, specifically for the nose. As the etiquette list phrases it, “Good personal hygiene makes it pleasurable for all.” In other words: wear deodorant.

SHARING IS CARING

For students, faculty, staff and alumni to all get their workouts in, two more etiquette policies are necessary: “Do not monopolize any one piece of equipment” and “Rotate within circuit with other patrons whenever possible.” (To avoid confusion among electrical engineers and gym novices, “circuit” refers to a cycle of a series of exercises.)

According to Lewis, these rules have become more crucial in recent years thanks to the increased use of cell phones, leading to longer rest periods between sets that might keep others waiting. “If people are using the equipment, they should use the equipment — and not be checking their phone,” she said.

PICK UP YOUR MESS

When you’re ready for a longer rest, it’s time to look to the next item on the list: “Return equipment to its appropriate place.”

“It’s just like you were taught when you were little,” Lewis said. “If you use something, put it back. If you dirty something, clean it up.”

Her statement segues into another etiquette suggestion: “Please keep the fitness center neat and clean.” This can be helped, Sykes explained, by not bringing backpacks in when you work out.

“People are allowed to bring their own equipment, but we prefer them to just bring it in hand and not in huge bags,” she said.

If you have to bring a bag with you, remember that the gym’s locker rooms aren’t just there for aesthetic purposes.

COURTESY AND CONSIDERATION

The final point of etiquette given by the fitness center is “Be courteous and respectful of others.”

“Consideration is a big one,” Lewis said.

She went on to say that this includes addressing complaints through the proper channels instead of taking out your frustration on nearby student employees. If problems occur, she recommends heading to either the Student Life Center main office or the equipment cage. Employees in either of these locations should be able to help with the issue or direct you to someone who can. Sykes further emphasized the need for respect.

“Respect the other people that are in there,

If you’re lifting heavy weights, don’t grunt.

We know it’s heavy, you don’t have to make a huge fuss about it.

If you use something, put it back. If you dirty something, clean it up.

respect the environment and the space ... a lot of other rules will apply or resort back to that,” she said.

Part of showing respect, Sykes explained, is not judging others.

“Unless it looks like someone’s actually going to hurt themselves doing something, you don’t really need to feel like you have to say something or correct someone’s workout.”

COOL-OFF THOUGHTS

Sykes and Lewis detailed several other forms of polite conduct, including bringing your RIT ID, asking employees how to use unfamiliar equipment and refraining from making too much noise. “If you’re lifting heavy weights, don’t grunt. We know it’s heavy, you don’t have to make a huge fuss about it,” Sykes said.

Finally, Lewis stressed the importance of patience and understanding.

“When you create an environment that’s respectful and welcoming and appreciative of different people’s backgrounds, then I think that you just make it more of an enjoyable environment for people to keep coming back to,” she said.

A healthier student body is a good outcome to aim for, whether on a university-wide or individual scale. Wiedman presents opportunities to work toward that goal. Just remember that any gym is a social space, much like a fine dining establishment, and there are certain polite standards for conduct. Keep this etiquette in mind and you’ll fit right in at the fitness center.

UHHH, SOOO ... GENDER EQUALITY,

RIGHT? by Marilyn Wolbert | illustration by Asher Bozman | design by Ella Mathewson The opinions expressed are solely those of the students and do not reflect the views of REPORTER.

Two days into my first internship, regret slowly inched its way into the back of my mind. It was as if none of the employees in my place of work had ever seen a woman with an education before. After constantly being talked over, ignored, cat called (yes, cat called in the workplace) and harassed, I muddled through eight months of pure patriarchal horror. The worst part? I had no help. Human resources was basically only payroll, RIT could only do so much from so far away, the other engineers and supervisors were all male and nobody seemed to care.

If I could take the number of times I was spoken down to like a child, add that to the number of times I was called condescending pet names, add this once again to the amount of people on the floor telling me that this was ‘not a job for a woman’ — you would have a number very similar to the amount of signatures on any one of the polar vortex PawPrints petitions. MANSPLAINING

Mansplain, enough of a problem that it was added to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary in March 2018, is defined as “to explain something to a woman in a condescending way that assumes she has no knowledge about the topic.”

In the essay “Men Explain Things to Me,” author Rebecca Solnit explains that mansplaining isn’t just annoying, but perpetuates the idea women are inferior.

“It’s the presumption that makes it hard, at times, for any woman in any field; that keeps women from speaking up and from being heard when they dare; it crushes young women into silence by indicating, the way harassment on the street does, that this is not their world,” Solnit writes. “It trains us in self-doubt and self-limitation just as it exercises men’s unsupported overconfidence.”

Solnit goes on to give the example of an instance where a man had taken over a conversation to wrongly explain a book, which he had never read, to Solnit and her friend. Solnit was the author of this book.

Another famous example is from a 2014 CNN clip where actor and author Steve Santagati explains catcalling to two women on air. What he says not only undermines the intelligence of women, but puts out the idea that harassment is welcomed and, in some cases, enjoyed.

“I’m more of an expert than you, and I’ll tell you why. I’m a guy, and I know how we think! More than you guys will ever know. ... The bottom line is this, ladies: You would not care if all these guys were hot. They would be bolstering your self-esteem, bolstering your ego. There is nothing more that a woman likes to hear than how pretty she is.” Santagati explained.

“There is nothing more that a woman likes to hear than how pretty she is.”

HARASSMENT

Catcalling, a form of harassment, is something that almost all women must face as a possibility every time they leave their homes.

Last year, I couldn’t walk through my own place of employment without someone making a comment about my body or what they would do to it. This is terrifying for any woman, especially in a male-dominated environment. According to NPR, over 81 percent of women experience some form of sexual harassment at some point in their lives. The effects can be everlasting — changing the way one may move through their life, causing fear, aggravation and embarrassment — so much so that there are multiple articles listing precautions you should take if you find yourself in one of these situations.

Joyce Shaffer, a former sales representative for multiple consulting firms, detailed an example of sexual harassment in the workplace which she endured years ago. She stated that she had worked on a project with a man who was very hostile and made continuous sexual comments to her all day long, every day.

“All women are whores and you’re the biggest one of all,” she quotes the aggressor as saying. “How about you give me some of that? Once the loaf is cut, what’s one more slice?”

This lasted for over three months, despite Shaffer’s multiple fruitless attempts to receive assistance from higher-ups, until the project was completed and they both went their separate ways. MISOGYNY

A good friend of mine recently had the brakes fixed on her car. Immediately after picking up said car, her brakes gave out in the middle of traffic, leaving her in a dangerous situation. After multiple calls to the mechanic, being told they had nothing to do with the malfunction, but would gladly fix them for an elevated fee, she had her father call them. Without hesitation the mechanic told him to bring the car in and they would fix it for free.

Small town examples aside, how about the wage gap? As illustrated by Business Insider, a common point of tension between people is the argument on whether or not the gap persists. Unfortunately, the gender wage gap continues to be an issue that is influenced by other factors as well such as race and location. White women make an average of 79 percent of the earnings a white man would make, whereas black and hispanic women make 67 percent and 58 percent, respectively.

What is the reasoning behind this? Many men attribute it to ‘women’s choice,’ working fewer hours or picking a lower-paying major. This doesn’t take into account the women who hold the same education and title as their male counterparts, yet bring home a smaller paycheck. According to Business Insider, after years of inequality, the wage gap has only decreased by about half a penny a year since the Equal Pay Act of 1963.

“It trains us in self-doubt and selflimitation just as it exercises men’s unsupported confidence.”

BUT LET’S BE REAL

Whether it’s the constant condescension, the battle to be taken seriously or the fight to maintain rights in a time where we seem to be stuck in misogyny, it’s clear there are still huge leaps to be had in the battle for gender equality.

I would write more, but I have to go listen to some men who are going to mansplain to me why the word mansplaining is sexist.