Peter Frey-Witzer, an enrolled student at Oberlin College in Ohio, wrote an op-ed in a campus newspaper complaining that “gender-friendly men” would install radiators in his dormitory as a “safe space”
Student at Oberlin Liberal College $80,000 a year Ohio He claimed in an editorial that he was left “angry, scared and confused” because “heterosexual men” had installed a radiator in his dormitory as a “safe space”.
Peter Frey-Witzer, a registered student at Oberlin College, published an article in the Friday edition of Oberlin review Where the principals take the task to give him short notice about the installation.
Frey Weitzer wrote that he asked a campus administrator if he could be excused from installing a radiator in his room to avoid “breaking in.”
He also complains that he felt “moderately violated” and “a little upset” when contractors returned to his room the next day to “check insulation”.
DailyMail.com has requested comment from Oberlin College.
According to Fray-Witzer, he and other residents of the campus’ Baldwin Rural Residence received an email on October 7 informing them that “contractors would be in the rooms” the day after the radiators were installed.
“This means that they will stay in your room for a while to complete the work,” Josh Matos, area coordinator for Multicultural and Identity-Based Communities, wrote in an email.
Frey Weitzer wrote in response: “I had not been contacted about any type of coolant installation prior to this email so immediately the word ‘update’ popped up as incorrect.
“I was alarmed reading the second line, which told me I had less than 24 hours to prepare for the installation crew’s arrival, and was more disturbed by the ‘for a while’ mystery.”
DailyMail.com contacted Matos for comment.
Fray-Witzer adds in his op-ed that he was “very disliked for people entering my personal space”.
“This concern was exacerbated by the fact that the crew would be strangers, and were more likely to be interconnected men.”
“Cisgender” is a term used to describe a person whose gender identity is similar to the gender assigned to them at birth.
The word is considered an antonym for ‘transgender’ – meaning a person who identifies as a gender different from what they were assigned to at birth.
The dwelling in which Frey-Witzer lives, Baldwin’s Cottage, is known as “The House of Women and Transgender People.”
Oberlin, a liberal arts college with a student population of 3,000, describes the residence as “a tight-knit community that provides women and transgender people a safe space for discussion, community life, and personal development.”
Fray-Witzer is a resident of Baldwin Cottage, a university residence on the Oberlin campus that is restricted to “any person who identifies as female or transgender, regardless of race, nationality, religion, specific gender, or sexual orientation.”
According to the school, Baldwin Cottage, which has 30 students, is “open to anyone who identifies as female or trans, regardless of race, nationality, religion, specific gender, or sexual orientation.”
The Oxford Dictionary defines a “safe space” as “a place or environment in which a person or group of people can feel confident that they will not be discriminated against, criticized, harassed, or other emotional or physical harm.”
“Safe spaces” are usually found on university campuses. They have drawn criticism from many who say they are used to silence political debate on campus and censor unpopular opinions.
Frey-Witzer wrote that “Gender men are not allowed to live on the second and third floors, and many residents choose not to invite gender-smart men into that space.”
“I was angry, scared and confused,” he added. Why didn’t the college complete the installation in the summer when the building was empty?
‘Why don’t they tell us exactly when the workers will be there?
“Why were we only notified the day before the installation was due to begin?”
Fray-Witzer describes seeing contractors arrive at the dwelling. “Wait anxiously,” he wrote before they briefed us.
He wrote, “The workers began to install in public, and I could immediately see that they were all men.”
Frey Weitzer wrote that “Gender men are not allowed to live on the second and third floors, and many residents choose not to invite gender-consistent men into that space.”
“It was clear that the college had not made a special request not to allow male workers to enter the upper floors of Baldwin.”
Frey Weitzer continues: “Expecting when they would arrive in my room was just a guess.
“I was trying to predict if I would be in class when they arrived, or if I would have to welcome strangers into my room only to be kicked out to allow them a space to work.”
When the contractors arrived, they knocked on Frey Weitzer’s bedroom door.
He writes, “When the swipe finally came, I struggled to put on my mask and cried over and over again, ‘Come on!'” Through the door.
Four or five construction workers stood outside, accompanied by someone I can only suppose—by neat polo and holster—to be the envoy of the college.
We stared at each other for a moment before I stepped aside to let the workers in.
The envoy started making frivolous statements that the work wouldn’t take long and encouraged me to open my door.
I meekly asked if I couldn’t actually install a radiator in my condo.
“I knew the answer was no before I even said it, but hey – worth a try.”
Frey Weitzer wrote that when he returned from class, the Polo man “warned me” that they would “be back later in the week to check on segregation.”
Frey Weitzer wrote: “I can’t help but think that although there were other residences affected by the installation, Baldwin Cottage was one of the worst places to have it.
There are many reasons why you would want to stay at Baldwin Cottage, but many people – myself included – choose to live there for an extra degree of privacy and a sense of security and protection.
“A significant portion of students choose to live in Baldwin because they are victims of sexual assault or abuse, have experienced previous privacy violations, or have some other reason to fear gender-compatible men.”
On Twitter, people made fun of Frey Weitzer’s article
Fray-Witzer claims that other students shared his concerns about “subjecting to the whims of contractors”.
I understand, of course, that such installations are routine; The college needs to improve its facilities every now and then, and who am I to stand in the way of that? …but why not finish the project in four months of summer, when the building was vacant? Why don’t you warn us earlier about the intrusion? Frey Weitzer writes.
“They should have taken measures to keep students comfortable and safe – especially those who chose to live in a specifically designated safe space.”
On Twitter, people made fun of Frey Weitzer’s article.
One Twitter user wrote: “This guy ‘frightened, angry and confused’ that he might be forced to interact with another guy whether he’s straight or gay (i.e. not non-binary) is the pinnacle of Oberlin.”
Journalist Glenn Greenwald tweeted: “Students at Oberlin University, which costs $80,000 a year to attend, are angry and afraid that the underpaid servants sent to fix their heaters are CIS men.
“A perfect illustration of how identity leftism not only ignores, but reinforces, class oppression: A reflection on the rotting roots of the ideology that convinces the privileged and wealthy students of elite colleges that the men who come to fix their heaters are their oppressors, whose families pay $80,000 a year. They are the persecuted.
Another Twitter user commented: ‘Simple solution for workers: Don’t install radiators in students’ rooms who don’t want you in theirs. It’s not your problem.’
Another said sarcastically, “Oh my God, such an uncomfortable situation. My thoughts are with those who were shocked lol.
Another commentator wrote: “Will they be survivors of some kind after this?”
One Twitter user wrote that the writer’s article amounted to “a public acknowledgment of the need for treatment.”
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