A historically black college in Pennsylvania is facing public scrutiny for its graduation requirement that students with a body mass index of 30 or above take a fitness course. From CNN:
Students at Lincoln University with a body mass index of 30 or above, reflective of obesity, must take a fitness course that meets three hours per week. Those who are assigned to the class but do not complete it cannot graduate.
Now that the first class to have this requirement imposed is nearing graduation day — students who entered in the fall of 2006 — the school faces criticism from both students and outsiders about the fitness class policy.
One of those students is Tiana Lawson, 21, whose recent editorial in the student paper has drawn national attention to the issue. Lawson wrote in The Lincolnian that she would be more understanding if the requirement applied to everyone. She thinks all students, not just those with a high BMI, should have to take the class.
“I didn’t come to Lincoln to be told that my weight is not in an acceptable range,” Lawson wrote. “I came here to get an education which, as a three-time honor student, is something I have been doing quite well, despite the fact that I have a slightly high Body Mass Index.”
African Americans were 1.4 times as likely to be obese as non-Hispanic whites in 2007, according to CNN. Obesity has been tied to a host of illnesses, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke and some cancers.
I wonder if everyone — not just the technically obese — were required to take the course, if this would save the university some grief? What do you think?
If they’re going to do it
it needs to be a universal requirement, or not at all.
Not only is it insulting, it may also be expensive. I’m assuming that since it’s a required course, it’s not being provided gratis–so these students are essentially being stuck with a thousand-dollar “fat tax” that has nothing to do with the requirements of their diploma.
Pisses me off severely, as a smart fat girl. This is not what people should be going to college for (unless they’re doing it voluntarily as nutrition or phys ed majors, which is their choice and their business).
At my college, we paid by the quarter
not by the unit, so it didn’t add any cost.
That’s discriminatory
and stupid. Frakking assholes.
really? dumb dumb dumb
let’s see, now let’s track down all the alcoholics and smokers and drug abusers, rage aholics and make them take courses too. you know eating is the one addiction that is totally apparent, if you want to go the addiction route. silly and how about get out of my life?
the college where I work
does require first-year students to complete an online alcohol-education course. While I’m not particularly thrilled about it, I find this less offensive than the Lincoln thing because a) it’s a universal requirement (i.e., they’re not tracking down your personal use or family history); b) they don’t have to pay for it; and c) it’s not tremendously time-intensive.
I still do have a little bit of bristle about “this is not a school’s place” but it’s not something I’d seethe about. (And maybe it doesn’t hit as close to home to me, the nondrinker.)
now that makes sense to me..
as it is a universal problem and even if you are a non drinker you can help those who get into trouble who are at parties…could be a life saver. i see this as very very different and not citing those who are even to the casual eye under scrunity and harrassment.
online might work for me
I might have been willing to take a PE class that was offered online. :-) But I’m going to take a firm libertarian stance here and say that universities have no business forcing adults to exercise for their own good. That’s not central to the goal of a college education.
I don’t have a problem with it as
a general requirement for everyone. I think among other things that it ensures that everyone gets out and is active, and doesn’t try to just get it done by sitting with a book. Sometimes a break is good for the mind, and athletics are good for changing your thinking.
We were fortunate to have a large number of options for such a small school. On a faculty full of Nobel winners, one of the most revered teachers on campus was the martial arts master. And we had an NCAA fencing team, which was funny because on the same team we had one student who had competed internationally and other students who had first learned to fence that same month.
Ridiculous
You can’t assume because someone is “skinny” that he/she is healthy. In college, I weighed about 115 pounds. That was just genetics then. I didn’t exercise, or really watch what I ate, and I drank quite a bit. I knew less about a healthy lifestyle than I do now as a chunky middle-aged person. It would be great if everyone took some sort of healthy living course, not just a fitness course. Something applicable to the real world.
WOW.
This is so dumb and offensive. I can’t even wrap my mind around it. Somebody thought this was a good idea. Un-freaking-believable.
My college had a wellness requirement–for everyone. It was a boring, stupid, waste of time class.
I had to take two years of PE to graduate
from Caltech with an engineering degree. It was as inescapable and as required as AMa 95. Perhaps more feared.
It seems simple to make it a requirement for everyone.
I took ice skating lessons and played on the soccer team. It was fun.
Seems like it would be fine to require everyone
to take a health elective or intro to nutrition or some such. In fact if Mental Health Awareness classes could be mandated nationwide I’d be for that. Also, civics.
Yes!
Great idea…I would totally be behiind that. Not only could you help yourself, but so many people who don’t suffer from mental illness are close to someone who does. It would be great to take the stigma away and teach everyone how to help.
have you seen glenn close’s site?
http://bringchange2mind.org/
I’ve never heard of something
as outrageous as this. Is Lincoln University so in dire need of funds that’s it’s discriminating against obese people. Why don’t they go after the alcoholics, or drug abusers, and make them take classes to help them quick their bad habits.
I think this is wacky
I can see it as a universal requirement for everyone, like the alcohol awareness course mentioned above. I do think some form of exercise helps with stress and intellectual functioning, so I do think it’s relevant.
But singling people out because of BMI does not capture healthy vs. not healthy. Some very muscular people have a high BMI, but they are healthy in every way. Some skinny people eat junk food all the time and never exercise. Some fat people have low cholesterol, low blood pressure and low blood sugar. Some skinny people have high cholesterol or smoke. The bottom line is you can’t necessarily tell if someone is healthy by looking at them or by BMI, so to require PE based on that doesn’t make sense to me.
Or how about having a gym?
If health and fitness is so important to the school, why not have a campus fitness center that is open to all students and is included in the cost of tuition? I would have loved that back in school. Have the requirement be that they meet with a personal trainer or nutritionist once during the school year or quarter even.
Because obvs fat people don’t
know ANYTHING about diet or exercise, because HELLO, then why are they fat?
Also, as a college student, I would love to have someone tell me TO MY FACE that I was going to have to take this class. I’d be like, “How do you know what I weigh? Were you the guess your weight person at the fair?” There would be one angry fat girl in the guidance office.
Also, what the hell business is it of the administration?
Also also, a traditional nutrition/exercise class might very well trigger some disordered eating in people prone to those conditions. Nothing makes me feel MORE anxious about my weight and therefore more apt to eat badly than someone telling me what to do in a shamefilled and condescending way. And I am no longer an insecure 21 year old….