The Women’s Lounge in the Union closed during the summer after concerns that the lounge violated Title IX regulations were brought to the administration’s attention. It recently reopened as a space for all genders.
Many students have already attempted to take action against the closing of the lounge, speaking out through sit-in protests and most recently a forum held by ASMSU, University Activities Board and the Residence Halls Association.
Though the former Women’s Lounge is now open to both men and women, some male students said they will still refuse to use it.
Kinesiology freshman Alessandro Gonzalez said he wants to respect the lounge’s initial purpose.
“I’d want to respect, in the first place, the fact that it was a women’s lounge,” he said.
Others shared the sentiment that the former purpose of the lounge should not be forgotten.
“It was meant for women, so I think most guys will respect that,” economics senior Andrew Masciopinto said.
However, some students welcomed the changes made to the lounge now that it is open for any gender to use.
International relations sophomore Scott Lenkart said he doesn’t think he will recognize the room as a women’s study lounge anymore and doesn’t understand why women don’t feel comfortable studying in other areas of the university.
“If you’re a woman and you’re not comfortable studying in the library, then I don’t know how you’re going to do in the real world, because it’s 50 percent men out there,” he said.
Some male students don’t see the lounge through a gendered lens.
“It’s just another lounge,” computer science freshman Shadman Rahman said.
Others noted the convenience the lounge now has to offer them.
Food industry management senior Brad Moses said he might use the lounge because it’s quieter than the rest of the Union.
“I’d just use it for convenience, if the other study rooms here filled up then I’d probably head over there,” mechanical engineering sophomore Ryan Heinze said. “But it probably wouldn’t be my first choice.”
For some male students, it’s about the intent. Masciopinto disagreed with the idea that male students going into the lounge just because they disagree with the idea of a women’s only study lounge.
“If they’re maybe doing a project and it is mostly girls and there’s one guy, that’d be OK,” Masciopinto said. “But if it’s just guys going in there just for the purpose of going into the women’s study lounge, because they disagree with it ... I don’t think that’s right.”
