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“The concept of segregating men and women in any way is inherently sexist,” states the petition, posted two weeks ago by a user named Candice Smith, who claims the student activists behind the campaign are using “twisted statistics in order to manipulate the student body.”

Schneider refutes that claim, and bristles at the mention of segregation, calling the accusation “wholly unfair.”

“To say that allowing a women-only gym hour is segregation is an extremely dangerous assumption to make. Allowing one hour (per day) for women to feel more comfortable is not segregating men.”

The petition also states that since all students pay equal fees, all students should have equal and unrestricted access to facilities.

Schneider says the issue of fees has sparked some lively debate on campus.

“A lot of women are saying, ‘I’ve been at Carleton for four years and I’ve never accessed the gym facilities because I don’t feel comfortable, so why should I pay into this for (other students) to use the gym?’ So there have been arguments on both sides.”

The campaign took root two years ago with a suggestion made by the campus Muslim Students’ Association, which took issue with the lack of cultural or religious accommodation at the facility.

A women-only hour would allow female students to remove their hijab and don more comfortable exercise clothing that their religious beliefs would otherwise restrict them from wearing in the presence of men, said Schneider.