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A few years ago the administration
had the P building remodeled for security and safety reasons.
Both dressing rooms were redone, putting a coded keypad on the
girl's locker room. It was done this way because in past years
there were complaints about peeping toms. Offices were moved
and the weight room was made larger.
Now after all the security changes, male
coaches are being allowed in the women's locker room.
"As the teams meet, the players will
let the coaches in," Dr. Mark Presley, Dean of Science and
Physical Education, said.
Male coaches go into the women's locker
room, not only to talk to their volleyball and soccer teams but
also to get to the training rooms that can only be reached through
the women's locker room, according to an anonymous attendant.
This stresses a concern for girls, like
Claudia Jimenez, a P.E. student who asked that we use a pseudonym
instead of her real name.
During the summer, Jimenez's usual routine
was to shower after her aquatic fitness class.
One day she noticed that a girl's athletic
coach entered through the back door.
"He seemed to be very at ease by walking
in without warning into the room," Jimenez said.
She found this odd seeing how it was the
women's locker room, so she quickly left and did not think much
about it.
She became unsettled when she learned that
guys from around Eastfield also knew the keypad code to the locker
room and could get in anytime.
Even though it was the summer when it happened,
Jimenez felt that if she saw a male coach walk in the locker
room without warning, it must have happened plenty of times before
and after.
Another female P.E. student voiced the
same concerns.
"I come here to change," said Tania Alarcon, psychology
major. "Don't really care if a girl passes by, but if a
coach passes by ... One day I came and there were some workers
in there, but the lady told me."
Alacron said, it wasn't enough warning
for her. She said if they put signs up, perhaps it would give
the girls some type of warning.
Between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through
Thursday the posts outside of the locker room should be attended,
according to two of the attendants. However, a brief check of
the locker room area on Thursday afternoon between 2:50pm and
3:20 pm there were no attendants.
"Whenever I work out, I never see anyone watching the locker
rooms," said Ivey Abraham pre-law major. " There's
never anyone there."
Although department officials have tried to address the security
issue, by changing the code, it still does not address the issue
of men entering the woman's locker room.
Presley recommendations were to put a door
separating the women's locker room area from the team rooms. |
