A student at Oberlin College in Ohio expressed their deep fear and anger at the school for allowing a male work crew to install radiators in a “safe space” dormitory for women and transgender students.
“I was angry, scared, and confused. Why didn’t the College complete the installation over the summer, when the building was empty? Why couldn’t they tell us precisely when the workers would be there? Why were they only notifying us the day before the installation was due to begin?” Peter Fray-Witzer wrote in the college newspaper.
He said he was concerned over the fact that the crew entering Baldwin Cottage would likely consist of men. The dorm is home to a “safe space” for “women and transgendered persons,” Fox News reports.
“In general, I am very averse to people entering my personal space. This anxiety was compounded by the fact that the crew would be strangers, and they were more than likely to be cisgender men.”
“It was clear that the College had not made a special request that male workers not be allowed onto the upper floors of Baldwin,” the student continued.
Fray-Witzer asked a representative of the college who accompanied the crew if he could reject getting the radiator installed. The representative said no, left for class, and allowed the crew to work.
“By the time I had come back, they appeared to be done, though [the representative] warned me that they would return later in the week to check the insulation,” Fray-Witzer said. “Sure enough, they were back the next day. I felt mildly violated and a little peeved.”
