QRAC at Center Of Media Storm

She’s been interviewed by The New York Times, the Associated Press, and The Chronicle for Higher Education in the last two weeks. After hearing from the producers of Good Morning America, CNN and Fox News, she appeared on NBC’s Today Show last week. Her voicemail and e-mail inbox are flooded with media requests, each asking the same question—why give a handful of students an entire gym?

For Ola Aljawhary ’09, the media attention surrounding the Harvard administration’s decision to implement a trial run for women-only gym hours at the Quadrangle Recreational Athletic Center (QRAC) has her both surprised and stressed out.

Aljawhary, who is chair of the Harvard Islamic Society’s Islamic Knowledge Committee, has become one of the focal points of national media coverage due to her role in coordinating the effort to implement the new rules between the Athletic Department and Women’s Center.

“It’s become sort of an invasion of my personal space and privacy,” Aljawhary said. “My mental space is so cluttered by all these requests, but I don’t want anyone to say there’s a lack of transparency, or that I declined to comment. I’m now seen as the ‘it’ girl, the go-to-person, and it’s gotten intense.”

Administration implemented the policy Jan. 28, after a group of six female students, which Aljawhary wasn’t a part of, asked for times to exercise without the presence of men. More than a month later, the issue is still sparking national debate.

A slew of bloggers and columnists from media outlets have said the move is discriminatory, puts minority interests ahead of the majority, and could be seen as a “dangerous” concession to Islam. Linda Valdez, a columnist for The Arizona Republic, called the policy an infringement on equal rights for men.

But on campus, students’ negative reactions were directed more toward the media than to the new policies.

“I read a few of the articles, and I think the media has a strange fascination with Harvard that is blown out of proportion,” Kyle A. Krahel ’08 said. “The pragmatic purpose [of the changes] is largely ignored by many in the media—it makes a lot of sense for the safety and comfort of women.”

Cabot resident Elizabeth Towle ’10 echoed these sentiments, calling the media response “overblown.”

Still, some were upset by the new regulations, which exclude men from the QRAC on Mondays from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.

“I don’t support any preferential treatment for anyone,” said Carolyn Puente ’10, who lives in Pforzheimer. “Don’t we go to a co-ed school?”

Many students were simply apathetic regarding the single-sex gym hours. Pforzheimer resident Natalia Martinez ’08-’09 called the contrast between the national attention and lack of student interest “ironic,” and said she hadn’t formed a strong opinion for or against the policies.

Aljawhary, whose name has appeared on blogs as far away as Turkey and Egypt, said that, despite all the attention, she’ll continue talking.

“I’d be flattered by all the attention it if it weren’t so negative. All of it’s pretty derogatory, pretty degrading, personally hurtful,” she said. “We should be able to accommodate the minorities within reasonable limits. Otherwise, you’re saying they should just shut their mouths.”