University Recreation dedicated the month of February to “Women in Recreation,” a four-week event centered on women’s empowerment and awareness, and offering a variety of free weekly workshops, classes and clinics for women.

“We started thinking about Women’s Recreation Month back in August,” said graduate assistant Kirsten Schumacher. “A couple of the graduate assistants got together and discussed the recreation programming at WSU and our previous schools. We felt we needed to try and make the rec center a safer spot for women.”

Graduate assistant Leigha Krick said her experiences working with women in recreation have demonstrated the lack of accommodation in many areas.

“I’ve seen a lot of progress for women through weightlifting, but often times they are intimidated by certain attitudes in the weight room,” Krick said. “Women of some religions aren’t allowed to be seen by men sweating or out of their religious dress, like at the pool.”

Krick said her own experiences and those of other graduate assistants at UREC inspired them to combine forces and create something by and for women.

“There are a lot of stereotypes in recreation,” Schumacher said. “Recreation isn’t scary. You can do what you want to do. We want to encourage women’s empowerment and share what it has done for us.”

Women in Recreation focuses on four themes throughout the month, said Schumacher, including mindfulness, exploration, change and community.

“Mindfulness is becoming aware of your body and what you can do,” Schumacher said. “Exploration is exploring what your skills are and maybe trying something new. Change is about breaking down barriers.”

Each week of the month is intended to reflect and focus on a particular theme, but the month in its entirety is about creating a community of encouragement for women to lead healthy lives, Krick said.

“Women are incredibly strong individuals, but we’re even stronger together,” Schumacher said.

The SRC will offer Women Only hours, opening an hour early Saturday morning in February from 8-9 a.m. This additional hour, staffed solely by women, is intended to start a campus-wide conversation on creating a safe and comfortable atmosphere for women.

“If guys come to those early hours, that’s awesome, but our goal is really to create a safe space for women during that time,” Schumacher said. “I do understand the idea of exclusion. If it comes up, we’ll be prepared to have those conversations.”

University of Idaho associate professor of law Shaakirrah Sanders said that while gender discrimination always requires careful consideration, the efforts of WSU’s recreation staff to bring awareness to women’s issues constitutes a reasonable use of restricted gender hours.

“The law recognized that there can be good reasons for reserving things for women apart from men, and vice versa,” Sanders said. “The issue here is women’s safety and comfort. This is a reaction to legitimate complaints, and is not reducing any hours of use for men.”

For Krick, the goal is to get people talking beyond just the month of February.

“If men come to the women only hours we’ll explain our purpose,” Krick said. “It might be hard to understand but it’s a great conversation to have. We’re trying to start a conversation that doesn’t feel finished.”

The month-long event will end on a high note with the RecRally, Saturday, Feb. 28, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

“The RecRally is like the whole month jam-packed into those hours,” Schumacher said. “We’ll be offering tons of free classes, clinics and more.”

For the staff involved in Women in Recreation, it’s all about giving back to the WSU community — women and men.

“We forget how empowering it can be to come together as a group,” Krick said. “Every day is an opportunity to learn something new about you, that’s what college is all about.”

Students can find information and class schedules for the full month and the RecRally by visiting urec.wsu.edu and clicking on the special events tab.