Recently, NJIT Girl Gains started a petition on change.org to reserve a club hour at both campus gyms specifically for female-identifying students. Currently sitting at 272 signatures out of 500 (at the time of writing), it has received both appraisal and backlash. Many questions are on people’s minds about the details of this petition, and thus, two members of the organization — Malika Sako, President of the Club, and Sudiksha Sahu, Public Relations Chair of the Club, shared some details.

First, we need to establish some context for the club, for those who may not have heard of it before. NJIT has over 150 official clubs and organizations, all of which offer diverse opportunities for students who join. While they are officially recognized by the Student Senate, other groups are pushing for recognition, with NJIT Girl Gains being one of them. It’s important to note that Girl Gains is a national organization that works to empower women in the fitness sphere. Already established at some major colleges including Rutgers and Kean, people such as Sako and Sahu have opened a chapter here at NJIT!

When asked how they would describe Girl Gains, Sahu responded that it is “more focused on empowering women in a gym or fitness environment,” and that “they want to encourage more female-identifying students at NJIT to come to the gym.” However, Sako and Sahu affirmed that the club was not just for girls. “Girls Gains is an organization for not only girls but for people who want to take charge of their fitness and be surrounded by like-minded people,” explained Sako. “It’s an environment where there’s no judgment, with acceptance towards various gender identities” and a heavy emphasis on “body positivity, encouragement and inclusivity.” All in all, it should be noted that the organization does not seek to exclude anyone, although there is an emphasis on empowering women. Sahu noted that NJIT is a STEM school, which is a factor that typically leads to a higher ratio of males to females.

Inadvertently, this could cause some female-identifying students to shy away from hitting the gym. Sako explained “After the first-ever general body meeting, the e-board shared their previous experiences being at the gym and being uncomfortable,” and that they often felt “that they can’t enjoy the workout to the fullest.” Sako commented that she did not start going to the gym until she got a gym buddy. Going with a friend can help reduce feelings of shyness or discomfort when going to the gym. Sahu, who did not have a gym buddy, explained how she used to “always be at the corner of the gym when [she] started two years ago” and only became more confident after having taught herself what to do in the gym. Other club members expressed hesitation to use the gym due to religious concerns/observations. The club’s goal is to be inclusive not only based on gender or sexuality but also on a religious basis as well.

In any case, the idea of the petition came to fruition — a one-hour reservation at the gym for specifically women. This has resulted in some backlash due to only a certain group being allowed into the gym for that hour. Sako is grateful for both the appraisal and backlash, as it has nonetheless sparked more discussions about the dynamics of different students attending the gym. When asked about this conundrum, Sahu explained that “[they] want to welcome everybody who will help female-identifying students on the right path to fitness,” therefore creating a more inclusive environment. “But that does not mean we are restricting the gym hours to women-only; that was the biggest misconception,” she further explained. When asked about the people who consistently go to the gym and what would happen if they were affected by this, she elaborated that “this reservation doesn’t mean that [they] want to exclude a particular group of people” and that rather “it’s just to promote more people who are part of the club or those not sure what they’re doing.” People who would otherwise be restricted by the reservation are more than welcome to come by and join the workout and/or help out. The misconception comes from the name “Girl Gains,” but like Sahu stated, “it’s just empowering women, without excluding any other gender.” Moreover, there was a lot of confusion as this hour reservation would only be reserved during a club hour.

As for more nitty-gritty details about the one-hour reservation, such as the specific timings and frequency per week, a lot of it is still in discussion. Sako said she would be “interested in having one reservation a week” which would mean a one-hour reservation per week. In addition, she brought up the possibility of holding it early in the morning during low-traffic hours or later at night. This would not interrupt many gym-goers as most of them go around the evening or late morning. As for which gyms specifically, she explained how Girl Gains has considered factors such as traffic at the different gyms on campus and their peak hours, with the Weightlifting Club (who also pitched in support for the petition). Currently, their interests are set on the gym in the Wellness and Events Center, where they are in contact with the administration. However, they made sure to emphasize that they can’t commit to anything yet, as a lot of the details are still in the works.

Girl Gains is a relatively new organization here at NJIT, having only recently opened its chapter this year. As a result, they have several ambitious goals to improve their club’s standing amongst the rest. We asked them if they would like to share any such goals, which Sako and Sahu happily agreed to. Sako stated, “We have applied for Senate recognition,” which they have made progress with, having submitted all necessary materials. “[Now] we’re just waiting for a response, to hopefully be invited to plead our case,” she said. They also talked about their wishes to hold more events, such as regularly scheduled fitness events, including gym workouts, walks/runs, hikes, ice skating, yoga, and more. In addition, they seek to invite professionals who can educate club members about health-related topics such as nutrition, mobility, and exercise forms. Connecting to their attempts to attain Student Senate’s recognition, Sako also mentioned how they would like to “establish [themselves] as a presence within the campus community.” This would solidify NJIT Girl Gains as another part of the college’s culture, perhaps also boosting collaboration with other already established organizations.

For Girl Gains, it is an exciting time as it is the start of their journey at NJIT. With many members already signing up in droves for the organization, one can expect nothing but surefire success from them. If you have any questions or queries, reach out to @njitgirlgains on Instagram.