Users of SFU’s men’s change rooms are calling for an end to the sexist rules that they argue are putting their personal valuables at risk.

For users of the fitness centre at SFU’s Burnaby campus, locker thefts and warnings about them are old news. Since last year, posters promoting awareness by both security services and gym staff have marked the walls of change rooms, though more break-ins are reported each month. With the majority of thefts reportedly occurring in the male change rooms, some male gym goers have taken a controversial stance to protect their property: they are circulating a petition to let men use the female locker room in order to better safeguard their personal belongings.

“No one seems to be stealing their shit,” said one angry SFU student, interviewed by The Peak between bench press reps at the fitness centre. “You never hear about any thefts in their locker room. It’s, like, totally sexist, man.”

While theft statistics can neither be confirmed nor denied by SFU security, it should be noted that all email notifications regarding the break-ins only mention the male change room as an area of concern.

For personal trainer and SFU employee Jim Mann, the only surprise about the petition is that it didn’t come sooner. “Guys at the gym have been concerned about this for a long time. I honestly don’t blame them for taking action. They have a right to be fed up.”

“We should be able to bring out technology and phones to school without fear of them being stolen,” said the co-creator of the petition. “I pay enough for my tuition as is. I shouldn’t have to pay for a locker and be held responsible if it’s broken into.”

When interviewed by The Peak, most female gym attendees said they were sympathetic towards the issues of theft, but their responses varied from calling it “laughable” to “utterly insane.” One student in particular voiced her opinion that the problem of thievery rested with the men themselves.

“They come into the change rooms, in their expensive clothes, carrying designer bags with tablets, iPhones [. . .] and they wonder why their belongings are gone at the end of their workout. If you ask me, some men are making themselves targets to theft.”

As it stands, the petition has reached 138 signatures, with the goal of hitting 300. Even if the petition fails, the creators of the petition hope that it will promote enough awareness on the subject to elicit change. Until that time, security and gym staff continue to advise students to leave valuables and prized possessions at home.

This serves as the second time in SFU history that locker reform has been brought to the forefront of student politics. Back in ‘84, then-SFSS President Jorge Orville put forward the idea of adding security cameras to the locker rooms, but the proposal was universally rejected.