Earlier this month, the University of Tennessee awarded $300,000 to a now-former football team trainer who was attempting to sue the university for sexual harassment.

The suit resulted from an incident involving volunteer quarterback Peyton Manning.

While in the team locker room, Manning allegedly mooned a fellow player after a practice session.

This event was witnessed by Jamie Whited, a trainer for the football team (and also a woman), who then filed suit against the university.

Whited claimed she was subjected to many abuses, including the mooning incident.

Unfortunately, she was not the object of the incident; rather she witnessed Manning from about 100 feet around a corner of a hallway.

Despite Manning’s numerous attempts to apologize for the incident, Whited decided to sue. She claimed in her suit that she endured over 33 incidents involving embarrassments and affronts since 1990. University officials verified four incidents and punished those responsible for those actions. An investigation of the other 29 events found little or no evidence to support those claims.

However, many of Whited’s co-workers, including some women, refuted her testimony, claiming she was not harassed to the extent she claimed.

After this story was published, some former co-workers alleged she had made false accusations of harassment in her previous jobs.

The university decided to settle out of court, paying Whited $300,000 (nearly 10 times her annual salary).

This case demonstrates a trend in our society to try to integrate previously all-male environments in order to end discrimination and expect the men to treat women differently.

Yes, you read right. Women are asking to be admitted into locker rooms, all-male military academies and men’s clubs on the basis of equality.

Yet, when finally admitted to these institutions by rule of law, they want to be treated differently.

For example, at the Citadel and Virginia Military Institute, women were admitted asking to be treated as equals.

However, when they were treated as poorly as the rest of the male cadets, women’s groups screamed bloody murder.

Members of the National Organization for Women (NOW) claimed the new female cadets should be treated differently than the other men.

The women shouldn’t have their heads shaved nor should be held to the same high physical standards as men.

Doesn’t equality mean two people are considered equals, regardless of gender, race, etc.?

Apparently the women’s movement wants women to have all the privileges of these groups yet doesn’t want them to take the more difficult road the men have to.

Now the case of the miffed moonee comes to light. Shouldn’t a rational woman entering a men’s locker room expect to see bare bottoms and other male hijinks?

Would a male trainer sue for harassment if snapped in the butt with a towel? No. Would this woman sue because of the same thing? Probably.

Should the University of Tennessee be legally responsible for the actions of a few insensitive employees and student athletes of its school? Absolutely not.

People should realize that in most cases, the individual and not his employer is responsible for sexual harassment.

When an organization punishes those who commit wrongs against its co-workers, then it should be free of guilt.

When a woman files suit against a said organization, her motives become suspicious. After all, who would be able to pay more money in a lawsuit, a single individual or an entire university?

We need to realize, shocking as it may be, that there are differences between men and women.

Physical, emotional and mental differences affect the way we interact with each other.

While gender discrimination is wrong, admitting women have the right but not the need to be in an all-male environment isn’t.

If a woman wants to be “just one of the guys” (like in a men’s locker room, the Citadel or VMI) she must be held to the same standard that men are, and those differences will go out the window.

Whether that means enduring an innocent slap on the butt just like the guys endure or doing the same number of pull-ups as your male counterpart does, equality means that you are treated just like everyone else in your environment.

---

Rob Zeis is a senior in finance from Des Moines.