About a month after the UCF Recreation and Wellness Center started enforcing a ban on shirts that don’t “fully cover the back, front and sides of the torso,” students say staff are now only enforcing it among men and not women.
“You guys have to understand this is sexism at its finest because you’re yelling at me and not saying anything to the girls,” said Austin Medlin, in a video he took during an argument he had with an RWC staff member about the policy.
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Medlin has been banned from going to the UCF RWC as of Wednesday, after accusing the RWC staff of sexual discrimination. He also believes UCF is violating the federal Title IX law.
“I was on a bench they came up, Troy and another guy and told me to leave and my privileges have been restricted. Once I went upstairs they told me the same thing, and I have to take it up with student conduct and I can’t use the facilities anymore,” said Medlin.
Mo Barhamje, a former SGA Vice Presidential candidate, told KnightNews.com that he is planning on filing a Title IX complaint with UCF Title IX Coordinator Maria Beckman.
UCF’s policy on the Title IX states, “Prohibited conduct includes treating a member of one sex differently than the other, based on sex.” The entire document can be found here.
Medlin has started a petition to “Rethink the string tank top ban at the RWC.” The petition had the support of nearly 500 people in just 12 hours. The petition can be found here.
When asked about the petition, UCF RWC spokesman Scott Mauro released a statement.
“The Recreation and Wellness Center remains committed to providing a safe, clean, quality, dependable, and fun environment. As stated in our interview last month the attire for members that use the RWC has not changed and remains focused our Healthy Lifestyle mission, achieving our values, and being an inclusive place for all students. Student feedback is always welcome and encouraged,” said Mauro.
